I’m pleased to see that the governor has signed EO-08-14, establishing an energy efficiency state building initiative.
Indiana has really yet to become a big advocate for energy-efficient, green building – and it can’t afford to avoid it any longer. Energy use in existing non-residential buildings in urban areas like Indianapolis are the single greatest contributor to global warming – and it’s the most controllable.
In fact, a recent study from the Brookings Institution titled “Shrinking the Carbon Footprint of Metropolitan America,” ranks Indianapolis as the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the entire country, behind only Lexington, Ky.
Green, energy-efficient buildings are no longer just for fringe states like California and Massachusetts. Energy-efficient buildings have a significant and positive impact to businesses and taxpayers – which is an advantage the state of Indiana can use to combat rising property taxes and to attract new and diverse businesses as the governor is trying to do.
As one of the last Midwestern states to address this issue, state Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, and state Sen. Jean Breaux, D-Indianapolis, recently introduced legislation that would require public buildings built after Dec. 31 to obtain a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, silver rating.
This means all new and existing public buildings undergoing reconstruction, repair and alteration or retrofitting will need to meet the requirements of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system or an equivalent rating system.
As Indiana looks for ways to retool its workforce and increase the quality of education, we can’t afford to overlook the physical environment where students learn and teachers teach. Buildings and school campuses are where we can act to make the greatest difference.
A recent study in Washington state estimated a 5 percent increase in test scores for students who attend energy-efficient, green schools. Additionally, a 2005 Turner Construction survey of green buildings found 70 percent of school districts with green schools reported reduced student absenteeism and improved student performance. Indoor-environment-related illnesses typically result in student sick days, lower staff productivity, decreased motivation, slower learning and lower test scores, are they significantly reduced by green building features.
In addition, energy efficiency offers cost benefits. According to the Department of Energy, schools spend an average of $240 per student for utility costs – and it’s only going to grow. Wasted money is unacceptable. I don’t want my taxes paying for energy bills in inefficient schools – I want it to go to after-school programs, safer playgrounds, new textbooks and updated technology.
It’s common sense that energy-efficient schools are cheaper to run and manage in the long run. It doesn’t require capital investment to get our schools into a better economic state. Schools can use Energy Saving Performance Contracts that pay for building upgrades and changes through guaranteed energy and operating cost savings over the life of the contract (typically 15 to 20 years).
Energy efficiency is becoming less the exception but the expectation. Though energy costs in Indiana are among the cheapest in the nation, we can only anticipate their rise, with oil priced at more than $100 a barrel. The cost to operate our buildings will only increase, and efficiency is the cheapest, smartest way to improve. What is holding us back?