Greenovation
An Interview with Bill Sisson, Director of Sustainability at United Technologies Corporation
September 2009 National Building Museum Online
On September 10, 2009, Bill Sisson, director of Sustainability at United Technologies Corporation (UTC) will speak at the National Building Museum as part of the Sustainable Communities lecture series. National Building Museum Online spoke with Sisson about green technology and sustainable building.
NBM Online: What new green technology has had the biggest impact in built environment over the last 5 years?
Bill Sisson: There has been a favorable response from the supply chain to produce energy efficient and environmentally responsive green technologies in the last 5 years. We have seen the emergence of more efficient light bulbs, energy efficient windows, higher efficiency heating and cooling systems, on-site combined heat and power systems, on-site renewable energy options, and elevators that regenerate electricity on descent. Also of note from the building design and engineering community is a resurging emphasis on passive technical elements that take advantage of natural light, ventilation, and thermal management in their designs. Combined, these technologies represent a shift toward green building in the last 5 years whose collective impact has had a greater influence on the built environment than could have ever been expected
Otis' Gen2 elevator is 50 percent more energy efficient than conventional systems, and up to 75 percent more efficient when combined with Otis ReGen drives, which feed energy generated by descending elevators back into the building, lowering overall building costs. Simply put, UTC's Otis elevators need up to 75% less energy than comparable equipment a decade ago.
Carrier Evergreen chillers are the world's most efficient water-cooled chillers, with 40 percent higher efficiency than current ASHRAE 90.1 efficiency standards. What's more, they use non-ozone depleting refrigerants. In an application, efficiencies during partial loading are best-in-class; benefits that come together nicely for commercial building projects that seek flexibility without compromising efficiency. The Evergreen 23XRV with Foxfire compression technology supports LEED® certification.
NBM Online: What technology has the greatest potential for energy savings in new construction?
Sisson: While the prior mentioned technical innovations from the last decade will serve future needs for improved energy savings in new construction, nothing will provide and sustain the aggregate savings better than integrated building management and controls. That is to say that while individual technology components like improved lighting and cooling systems are necessary for energy efficiency improvements, the overlay of a building management system will provide the most effective operation of the building as a whole. Further, as these systems operate over time, their performance will likely degrade and proper controls and diagnostics that alert building managers and energy service providers to maintenance needs will assure energy savings are kept at the designed level. Technologies exist to integrate the building management and automation systems under a single smart platform thereby eliminating wasted energy.
NBM Online: What is the biggest barrier to building sustainably?
Sisson: The World Business Council for Sustainable Development's (WBCSD) 3-year study on energy efficiency in buildings captured the major barriers to sustainable building in its 2007 Facts and Trends report as financial misperceptions, lack of awareness and know-how, and complex relationships involved in decision making. Underlying market research suggests that most building professionals underestimate the significant role buildings play in energy consumption and, therefore, overestimate the cost of achieving green building status. The report makes the importance of making green building qualifications and costs more accessible to market leaders clear. The number of participants involved in the production of a building, whether new or retrofitted, and the challenge of the owner vs. occupant market structure render the sector highly complex and compound the effect of these barriers.
NBM Online: Many people have been hesitant to build green due to the perceived upfront additional cost of construction. How can we encourage a more long-term view of sustainable building?
Sisson: Under the challenges of energy independence, security, and environmental impacts, there is an urgent need to transform the building sector. Because of the sector's inherent barriers and challenges and the complexity of investment jargon in general, green building and building efficiency should be encouraged through codes, standards and enforcement. Organizations like the U.S. Green Building Council, through its voluntary LEED certification, have demonstrated a market acceptance for whole building labeling and certification schemes. Likewise, the European Union has mandated that whole buildings be measured and labeled according to their energy and carbon footprint. China, too, is imposing tougher whole building energy codes. These are but a few examples of regulatory structures that will serve to break down barriers, and together with needed government incentives, will drive a market response. Additionally, the growth in energy management service providers lending to market leaders will provide the market with additional capital and financing options. Together with efforts to raise awareness about green building, these mechanisms will reshape the building sector. The WBCSD has outlined these areas under its six critical recommendations in their "Transforming the Market" report, available at www.wbcsd.org.
NBM Online: Building sustainably involves a much more integrated approach within the design fields. Do you see evidence that these professional silos are working more collaboratively?
Sisson: Increasing numbers of energy efficient and green buildings around the world serve as evidence that integrated design approaches are being used more frequently. While encouraging as an emerging trend, the number of professionals that practice integrated building approaches is not enough, given that the majority of buildings are being developed with a business as usual mindset. Moreover, in the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating system, additional rating credit is given to buildings that use the integrated design approach. We believe that buildings can be substantially more efficient than their conventional predecessors; however, to reach these levels more integrated design approaches will be required through services offered by leading design, engineering and energy service companies going forward.
Register for the September 10 "Greenovation" program or learn more about the Sustainable Communities lecture series, and the final lecture, "Plan Like Your Life Depends on It," which takes place October 1.
