{"id":13204,"date":"2021-01-04T07:48:20","date_gmt":"2021-01-04T07:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.environment-hawaii.org\/?p=13204"},"modified":"2021-01-06T18:01:44","modified_gmt":"2021-01-06T18:01:44","slug":"honolulu-climate-commissioner-floats-bold-changes-to-construction-standards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/?p=13204","title":{"rendered":"Honolulu Climate Commissioner Floats Bold Changes to Construction Standards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The City & County of Honolulu, through its Office of Climate Change, Resilience and Sustainability, as well as its Climate Change Commission, is working to find ways to make O\u02bbahu\u2019s built environment carbon neutral.<\/sub> Credit: Honolulu Climate Action Plan<\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Last year, environmentalists and the development community jockeyed over bills aimed at revamping the City & County of Honolulu\u2019s energy code and parking regulations to help mitigate or minimize climate change effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In testimony to the City Council, organizations such as Blue Planet Foundation and the Ulupono Initiative lamented that the final versions of these bills lacked features of the originals that would have gone further to encourage the use of renewable energy and electric vehicles, or to get people to eschew traveling by car altogether. They also complained that the parking bill revisions stemmed from closed-door meetings with developers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Representatives for developers and the construction industry, however, had some complaints of their own. The measures proposed in the energy code bill \u2014 even the watered-down version \u2014 are expensive and would make it more difficult to keep housing affordable, they argued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then-Mayor Kirk Caldwell ultimately signed the bills \u2014 Bill 25 and Bill 2 \u2014 requiring new homes to be wired to accommodate solar panels and electric vehicles and eliminating off-street parking minimums for new developments, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one got everything they wanted, but a valuable lesson was learned: the parties having stakes in these issues should start talking to each other early. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when Bettina Mehnert, a member of the Honolulu Climate Change Commission and CEO of Architects Hawai\u02bbi Limited, last month presented a white paper she had drafted on the construction industry\u2019s role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, nearly 90 people tuned in to the commission\u2019s Facebook Live meeting, including representatives from the state\u2019s construction unions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mehnert stressed that the paper, which will eventually be adopted by the commission, does not set city policy. It merely informs it. Even so, David Arakawa, executive director of the Land Use Research Foundation, recognized its potential importance: \u201cPolicy makers are going to use this document to pass laws,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given that, Ryan Kobayashi of the Hawai\u02bbi Laborer\u2019s Union, Local 368 said the commission needs to engage with a larger scope of people than it usually does. \u201cSometimes, when things come up in silos, there can be big clashes in the end,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nathaniel Kinney, executive director of the Hawai\u02bbi Construction Alliance \u2014 which includes the unions for carpenters, laborers, cement masons, bricklayers, and operating engineers \u2014 added, \u201cAfter going through Bill 25 and Bill 2, what was becoming apparent to the unions was we need to get involved more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe unions are just looking at the overall construction industry. We become kind of the default conscience of what is best for the entire industry, rather than what is best for a single developer or contractor. \u2026 We\u2019re the ones, frankly, that are talking to the policy makers more than the contractors or developers,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cWe would appreciate being invited to the conversation. Once you get our buy-in, it\u2019s much easier to get the others to buy in. We\u2019re kind of at a critical leverage point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/strong>At the commission\u2019s December 9 meeting, Mehnert recommended a host of changes to the way the industry operates, from the kind of concrete it should use to the standards to which the state\u2019s architects and new building projects should be held. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The construction industry\u2019s role in climate change is huge, Mehnert said, noting that buildings generate nearly 40 percent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions and \u201cthe global building stock is expected to double by the year 2060.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s like adding an entire New York City every month for 40 years, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis growth gives our industry a tremendous opportunity to change the adverse impact on the climate,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The climate is already getting warmer and the weather is more irregular, requiring more energy for cooling and heating of buildings, so it\u2019s increasingly important to recognize the role of the built environment, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mehnert recommended that carbon-sequestering concrete, a.k.a. green concrete, be the default product for all buildings and infrastructure. Green concrete is made by taking \u201cwaste carbon dioxide from an industrial emitter (usually a gas company or a power plant) and inject[ing] it into a concrete mix, creating a chemical reaction that turns the carbon dioxide into solid calcium carbonate. \u2026 The injected mineral replaces some of the cement required for the concrete while maintaining strength requirements. By utilizing the byproduct of a different local manufacturing process, this green concrete decreases the cost of cement, the amount of materials to be transported from the mainland, embeds a polluter into a material, and allows a reduced carbon footprint,\u201d her paper states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It adds that a 2019 Hawai\u02bbi Department of Transportation demonstration project, using  150 cubic yards of locally produced green concrete, \u201cwill save 1,500 lbs. of carbon dioxide, offsetting the emissions from 1,600 miles of highway driving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the state doesn\u2019t yet have the capacity to make green concrete the default construction material, \u201cconcrete manufacturers will, I am certain, have no objections to fill the demand once it\u2019s there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to adopting new standards regarding greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption in new and existing buildings and developments, Mehnert recommended providing developers with incentives to make those projects financially feasible. Eliminating building height limitations was one such incentive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doing so would give developers an opportunity to come up with innovative solutions to climate change effects, she argued. She said a developer could increase the height of the ground floor of a building to provide some ability to adapt to increased flooding due to sea level rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increasing the ground floor to allow for some resiliency would force the developer to shave off the top floor to avoid piercing the current building height envelopes. If a developer wants to do the right thing, they should not be penalized by having to eliminate a floor from a building, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One member of the public asked whether building up instead of out would increase air pollution and exacerbate heat island effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes maybe one has to look at the lesser of two evils,\u201d she replied, posing the question: Is it better to build up in a smaller footprint, and perhaps create a heat island, or does minimizing a heat island footprint justify sprawl? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think anything justifies sprawl,\u201d she said, adding that heat island effects could be reduced with green roofs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Implementing her recommendations will require \u201ca bit of imagination and courage by all of us because business as usual simply will not work,\u201d Mehnert said. \u201cIt will require a dialogue that stretches us and that forces us out of our comfort zones. I believe the fact that we have so many people attending this session here is a very good indication that we are ready to have those types of conversations and the intent of this paper is to trigger them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She noted that she chose not to specify targets regarding fossil fuel use, greenhouse gas emissions or energy consumption, because stakeholders still need to discuss what those targets should be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the rest of the commissioners supported Mehnert\u2019s proposals, they all thought more feedback needed to be gathered, and revisions made accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis issue of developer incentives, I think this is a really important point. \u2026 There\u2019s this broader question, if you\u2019re pushing infrastructure cost burdens into every individual development project, by definition you\u2019re putting that burden onto the buyer of those units, which has long been a problem. How do we think about this in the context of climate change \u2026 when we\u2019re going to ask the industry to be more creative to meet those challenges?\u201d commissioner Makena Coffman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With regard to green concrete, Mehnert suggested that transitioning might be one of the easier feats. \u201cThis technology has been around for a while,\u201d she said. After reaching out to those in the industry about its use, she added, \u201cwhat I found incredibly interesting is that it just needed somebody to bring this up. Because the engineers said, \u2018Yeah, we can do this.\u2019 And then the contractor said, \u2018We can do this.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the end, we all want to do the right thing. I don’t question this at all. If we put our minds together \u2026 we can show the rest of the world how it\u2019s done,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate Action Plan<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Honolulu Climate Change Commission continues to flesh out and gain broader input for its white paper on the construction industry, the city\u2019s Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resilience has already published several of its own recommendations on energy efficiency in buildings, as part of a draft Climate Action Plan issued late last month and developed in partnership with the University of Hawai\u02bbi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plan is a requirement of a 2018 resolution adopted by the Honolulu City Council, calling for the city to be carbon neutral by 2045. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: Climate Action Plan<\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to the city\u2019s 2020 Annual Sustainability Report, O\u02bbahu\u2019s building emissions decreased by 21.9 percent since 2005. Even so, as existing buildings account for 35 percent of the island\u2019s greenhouse gas emissions, increased efficiency brings the city a lot closer to its carbon neutrality goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most important long-term way to enable energy efficiency on the island is to \u201cinfluence new construction by regularly updating building energy codes to the highest national and state standards,\u201d the plan states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It points out that last year, the city updated its electrical building and energy conservation codes. \u201cHowever, even in the update of building energy codes, only 2015 standards were adopted rather than the most up-to-date 2018 standards. With the 2021 code on the horizon, the new standards will be quickly outdated,\u201d it states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plan recommends adopting a building code ordinance that, at the very least, requires the automatic update of city codes whenever the state adopts new building energy standards. \u201cThe city should adopt further standards as appropriate. \u2026 Future updates, for example, could address high global-warming potential [greenhouse gases] used within air conditioning systems as there are substitutes,\u201d it states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With regard to existing buildings, it notes that some U.S. cities have adopted benchmarking and transparency requirements for large commercial and multi-unit residential buildings. Benchmarking, it explains, involves the tracking and public reporting of energy metrics, \u201cwhich may be particularly useful to inform buyers or renters of commercial space or apartments of their energy costs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It notes that commercial and multi-family buildings larger than 30,000 square feet account for 66 percent of the island\u2019s floor space. And by implementing benchmarking standards, it estimates that electricity consumption of buildings could drop nearly by 7 percent by 2030. It also estimates that benchmarking of existing buildings could result in a reduction of 1.7 million metric tons of CO2<\/sub> equivalent gases between 2020 and 2045. \u201c[There are] potentially large impacts from new buildings over time,\u201d it states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A third of island residents surveyed by the office supported using public funds to retrofit existing large private buildings, according to the report. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA growing number of cities including New York, St. Louis, and Washington D.C. have gone beyond by adopting incrementally increasing energy-saving targets for buildings to ensure increasing energy savings over time. The city can begin to replicate these efforts by implementing its own municipal benchmarking program for covered city buildings over 10,000 square feet,\u201d it states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plan envisions the development of a benchmarking program, building performance standards, and reporting mechanisms \u2014 including the passage of ordinances \u2014 to occur in 2022-2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn order to achieve deep decarbonization goals in the existing buildings sector \u2026 we need to measure energy usage, evaluate it against peers and other sectors, and then identify opportunities for energy and water conservation,\u201d the plan states, adding that the city will \u201clead by example and first establish these policies for its own facilities before collaborating with industry partners on a community-wide benchmarking effort.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to benchmarking, the plan calls for the retrofitting of city buildings, facilities, and operations through 2023 using energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs). An ESPC, the plan explains, is a public-private partnership with an energy service company (ESCO). \u201cThe ESPC provides the upfront investment for energy efficiency retrofits and assumes the technical and performance risks associated with the building improvements. An ESCO can help the city find, design, and implement energy conservation and renewable energy opportunities at city facilities that will be paid back through savings in energy bills,\u201d it states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It notes that the city has already used ESPCs for an islandwide LED retrofit of 53,500 streetlights, the installation of solar photovoltaics at the Kailua Wastewater Treatment Plant, and an energy efficiency program for the Board of Water Supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInitial estimates suggest that the city could achieve up to a 50 percent reduction in electricity consumption for facilities covered by these ESPCs,\u201d the plan states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between 2022 and 2025, the plan recommends that the city pursue energy efficiency for city-owned housing. The city owns and operates, or is finalizing acquisition of, 2,508 affordable rental units, the plan stated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe aim of these properties is to help meet affordable housing needs. Electricity costs can be a burden on tenants, where a 10 percent savings for the average resident would result in an annual savings of $180 per year. The city should be sure to design these investments in building energy efficiency retrofits such that the energy cost savings accrue directly to tenants,\u201d it states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe city should first facilitate investment through partnership with Hawai\u2018i Energy, but will likely also have to finance some of the up-front costs,\u201d it states. (Hawai\u02bbi Energy is the service established by the Public Utilities Commission to encourage energy efficiency. It is financed through a charge on electricity bills.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The office is accepting public comments on the plan through the end of this month. Comments may be submitted to https:\/\/resilientoahu.org\/climate-action-plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 Teresa Dawson<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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