WASHINGTON, April 19, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) today announced the winning entries in its 2001 Best Practice Sustainability Awards program. Recognizing innovation and excellence in market-ready green building and building product design, SBIC's Best Practices Sustainability Awards are open to SBIC members who are setting the standard for energy- and resource-efficient design in America's buildings.
On Saturday, April 21, 2001, from 4 p.m. - 5 p.m., SBIC will recognize the winning projects in the 2001 Best Practice Sustainability Awards in two categories: Buildings and Building Systems. The awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with the FORUM 2001 -- Solar Energy: The Power to Choose conference at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C. (www.solarenergyforum.org).
According to SBIC Associate Director Doug Schroeder, "Buildings account for roughly a third of America's annual energy consumption -- an amount equal to all forms of transportation combined. But where great strides have been made in the fuel efficiency of automobiles and other means of conveyance, buildings use far more energy than they need to, simply because sustainable building technologies and design strategies have yet to be embraced by the majority of America's builders. With energy availability and rising costs on everyone's mind, SBIC feels it's important to recognize firms that are meeting the challenge head on."
In the Buildings category, the winning entry is the Zero Energy House; a residential project submitted by SBIC member Judy Fosdick, President of Tierra Concrete Homes, Inc. The home relies entirely on renewable energy sources and incorporates numerous earth-friendly materials and systems. The home's design, setting, and materials were all optimized for resource conservation and occupant comfort.
The Zero Energy House combines passive solar design with an insulated concrete heat sink to produce a house that functions like a clean-energy battery by storing the sun's heat energy by day and slowly releasing it at night to balance out nighttime temperature changes. Back-up heating is provided by a hydronic radiant in-floor heat system fueled by solar hot-water panels and a sealed combustion water heater. Ceiling fans, which function at a fraction of the cost of conventional air conditioning systems, provide cooling. The home represents true state-of-the-art thermal building science.
In each of the past five years, Tierra Concrete Homes, Inc. of Pueblo, Colo. has received the National Association of Home Builders' Energy Value Housing Award. The firm was also named by the EPA Energy Star Homes program as its Builder of the Year - 2000. To learn more about the project, visit www.tierraconcretehomes.com or stop in at http://www.sbicouncil.org/about/awards.html#Tierra
In the Systems category, SBIC recognizes the EarthWise(tm) Design for Applied Chilled Water Systems; a project submitted by The Trane Company, a new SBIC member. Trane's EarthWise System applies three primary tenets in their approach to sustainable airside and waterside system design: low flow, low temperature, and high efficiency. The result is a chilled water system that delivers superior comfort and is less expensive to install and operate in comparison to conventional designs.
A key component of the EarthWise System is the EarthWise CenTraVac(tm) centrifugal water chiller, the only chiller to have received the U.S. EPA's Climate Protection Award. This chiller uses an environmentally balanced alternative refrigerant and leads the industry in superior energy performance. According to Trane representatives, energy efficiency exceeds all other product technologies currently in the marketplace (typically by 5 to 20 percent), while offering a "near zero" refrigerant emissions level. Coupled with new advances in microprocessor-based controls, the water chiller can now be safely applied in variable-primary-flow chilled water systems -- a significant efficiency advancement, since half the comfort system's energy is in the chilled water system. Airside developments include smaller, more efficient, lower-sound-level equipment, fans, and variable air volume units. Tied all together by interoperable controls, the system offers a data-rich environment in an easy-to-use graphical human interface ... key to sustainable operation over the life of the building.
Compared to conventional designs, an EarthWise Applied Chilled Water System can reduce the total cost of ownership by cutting both installation and operating costs. Considering the current higher costs associated with some sustainable construction practices and green building materials, the EarthWise System can have a noticeable impact in the marketplace. More about the Trane EarthWise System can be found at www.trane.com and at http://www.sbicouncil.org/about/awards.html#Trane
"The timing of these awards to coincide with Earth Day and the FORUM 2001 conference is a conscious effort on our part to underscore the connection between sustainable-, low- and no-energy building strategies and a cleaner, more affordable, and more livable future for our families and for ourselves," Schroeder said. "By raising awareness on the part of homebuyers, builders, and manufacturers that these products increase value and performance and are available right now, SBIC is conditioning the market to expect -- and to demand -- buildings and building products that are affordable and efficient by design."
The SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS INDUSTRY COUNCIL is an independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the design, affordability, energy performance, and environmental soundness of America's buildings.
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CONTACT: Sustainable Buildings Industry Council
Will Zachmann, Director of Communications
(202) 628-7400, ext. 201
swamedia@swinter.com