project green san antonio

Sustainability and San Antonio

San Antonio is beginning to emerge as a city committed to the future through sustainable design. Under Mayor Phil Hardberger, and continuing under new Mayor Julian Castro, the foundations have been laid for a greener, healthier, resource-efficient and more carbon-neutral community over the next twenty years. The Mission Verde Plan is the blueprint for that future.

We are also blessed with public utilities that are both good stewards and farsighted in providing energy and water for San Antonio. This is a cornerstone of sustainability, but also it is also essential to our ability to grow a city with economic health. Witness the number of Fortune 500 companies that have build major facilities in San Antonio because of energy costs, including Microsoft and Toyota.

City Public Service (CPS)
San Antonio has the lowest municipal electrical rates in Texas, and has pursued the largest commitment to wind power in the U.S., through its Windtricity program. In fact, CPS considers conservation “the fifth fuel”. This year, City Council voted to commit $849 million over the next twelve years to energy conservation, incentives, wind power and solar. The program is called “Save for Tomorrow Energy Plan” or STEP, and is projected to save 771 megawatts of electricity over between now and 2020. That replaces the power produced by building one new coal-fired power plant! Incentives for commercial users and homeowners include lighting, roofing, windows, HVAC systems, controls and thermostats, motors, renewable energy and other special features.

San Antonio Water System (SAWS)
SAWS is doing an equally effective job of water conservation. Today San Antonio uses the same amount of water, with over 1.3 million residents, than we used 20 years ago when we had only 881,000 people. We consume approximately 130 gallons per day per person; this compares with Dallas, which uses 230 GPD. SAWS began installing recycled water over a decade ago, so that commercial users and golf courses do not have to consume potable water. The Carrizo Sands Aquifer, south of San Antonio, now stores a vast reserve of water, injected into the ground during rainy years, so that we can survive times of drought like we see today. SAWS also has extensive incentives for water conservation. For Homeowners these include landscape, toilets, washing machines and on-demand hot water. For commercial users, rebates and incentives include retrofit programs, free water-saving toilets, cooling tower audits and recycled water. Special programs are available for car washes, restaurants and golf courses.

Building San Antonio Green
The built environment represents over 48% of the energy and resources consumed in the U.S. Therefore, new buildings can and should be designed and built to a more efficient standard. Existing buildings, which are over 98% of the inventory, can and should find ways to reduce energy and water use. The City of San Antonio began moving in this direction in 2008 through the Mayor’s Sustainability Task Force, which defined the long-term goals for building design and construction, including new energy and water conservation standards. These will take effect in January of 2010.

LEED Certification and the U.S. Green Building Council
The idea of Green Building, especially in the framework of LEED certification, has been the subject of much bad information. The reality is that designing and building to LEED standards can be prudent and cost effective.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building project meets stringent green building and performance measures. USGBC is a non-profit organization that provides top quality educational programs on green design, construction, and operations for professionals from all sectors of the building industry. LEED certification is available in different levels from Certified to Silver, Gold and Platinum, the most stringent. The choice of certification depends on the Owner’s budget and commitment to sustainability.

Energy Star
Energy Star is program sponsored by the EPA that concentrates on building performance as a means for energy savings. LEED, on the other hand, is sponsored by the non-profit USGBC and emphasizes green building practices, including energy. Energy Star is a first step toward green building, and can offer a significant and less costly approach to energy management.

To date approximately 2,600 commercial buildings have received the EnergyStar rating. According to the EPA, Buildings carrying the EnergyStar label consume on average about 35% less energy, and many of these use less than 50% the energy of conventional buildings (source: www.energystar.gov).

A commitment to conservation led USAA Real Estate Company to benchmark one hundred percent of its eligible space and resulted in a 62.5 percent increase in average energy performance rating by the end of 2004. USAA was awarded ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award every year since 2003!

What are the Potential Benefits?
There are a wide range of potential benefits associated with Green Building, whether through LEED Certification, Green Globe or Energy Star:.

Owners & Employers:

Lower energy costs and Operating Expenses
Higher lease rates, velocity and tenant retention
Increased economic value and lower cap rates
Increased tax incentives, rebates and offsets for energy savings and renewable energy
Improved ability to attract, hire and retain productive employees
Improved community and market good will for environmental responsibility

Users:

Increased productivity
Healthier workplace and lower absenteeism

Community:

Lower environment impact and heat island effect
Lower landfill costs
Lower capital costs for power and water

What are the Costs?
Here is the real surprise: The typical cost of Green Building can be almost cost neutral compared to “conventional” design if it is begun at the outset. The costs of green building products has come down substantially as suppliers have responded, and the intelligent tradeoffs that can be made during the design process reduce actual construction premium to 1-3% in most cases.