Black Friday means shopping for some, but Green Monday is savings for everyone. Join us on the Monday after Thanksgiving – November 26th at 7:00 pm at the Library Community Room for “Better by Design – energy efficiency in Needham’s public construction projects“.
Learn how reducing energy use and using energy as efficiently as possible is built into our public buildings from initial conception and design through construction and operation.
Architects from the design firms and project managers from Needham’s Public Facilities Construction Division will take us on a tour of some of Needham’s recent building projects:
- Rick Rice from DiNisco Design Partnership, Project Architect for the High Rock School
- Mike Fields, from Winter Street Architects, Project Architect for the innovative Public Services Administration Building, one of the first public buildings to be heated and cooled with geothermal heat pump technology
- Hank Haff, LEED Accredited Professional and Project Manager for Needham’s Public Construction Division
“Better by Design” not only contributes to the “on time and on budget” performance we have come to expect, it also reduces our use of fossil fuels, contributing to a cleaner environment and keeping more dollars in the local economy and reduces operational costs, saving money for years to come.
The best place for a homeowner to start is with a home energy audit. I suggest that you visit the NSTAR web site below and click on the Energy Efficiency button. You will find many useful suggestions and links for getting a residential energy audit, finding rebate programs, gas and electric improvement recommendations and the like.
http://www.nstar.com/residential/
If you are thinking of a more major renovation the Boston Society of Architects has a website listing area architects and an outline of steps that you might go through for a renovation or new construction.
http://www.homeownersprojecthandbook.com/
If you are interested in getting into the details and want to attend a conference on sustainability I recommend the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) Spring Conference.
http://www.nesea.org/
In response to your question about the Colleges, I believe that they are very aware of the issue and in fact Olin College was well ahead of the Town in the implementation of energy saving plans. They were one of the reciepients of the recent awardsnoted in teh news column
This is a question for Hank Haff — How can Needham residents make homes LEED efficient without a huge overhead (in the sandwich generation now)! Also how can the colleges take advantage of the modifications you have made in public buildings in town?