Strong building energy codes conserve resources, support local jobs in Austin, Texas

To: Mayor Lee Leffingwell

From: Texas BlueGreen Alliance steering committee members

Re: Council agenda item #116: replacing Article 12 of City Code Chapter 25-12 to adopt the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code and local amendments.

The Texas BlueGreen Alliance – a consortium of business, labor, environmental, and community organizations – is pleased to offer some brief comments in support of the adoption of the 2012 IECC codes with local amendments.

Advanced building codes are a critical component of a 21^st century clean economy. With your ongoing leadership on energy codes and conservation, Austin can continue to show the nation that it is possible to have a robust economy while combatting climate change and creating family-supporting jobs.

Resource-efficient buildings provide jobs at every professional level and skill set. For example, by the end 2013, green buildings will support nearly 8 million workers in a range of occupations including construction managers, carpenters, electricians, janitors, building superintendents and managers, architects, plumbers, truck drivers, and cost estimators, among many others.¹

Despite the recession’s impact on the national construction industry, green construction has maintained a strong market share of the commercial and residential building sectors. Green building accounts for more than one-third of all non-residential design and construction in the United States, and is projected to grow to more than one-half of all construction within the next five years.²

With regards to residential home construction, a February 2012 report released by McGraw-Hill Construction found that that green building in the U.S. is expected to comprise between 29% and 38% of the residential market by 2016 — a potential fivefold increase, from $17 billion in 2011 to somewhere within the range of $87 billion to $114 billion in 2016. According to the study, builders have reported that the cost to build green is now 7% and falling, as compared to 10% in 2008 and 11% in 2006.³ (see figure 1).

Figure 1

Growth of green construction market share

A recent analysis by the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that building operations consumed $406 billion worth of energy in 2009 – 38% of total U.S. energy spending.⁴ By “building it right the first time,” home owners and commercial property owners can dramatically benefit by locking in lasting energy savings at a much lower up-front cost than the cost of retrofitting a building later in it’s life.

Full compliance with energy codes would produce significant annual and cumulative energy savings for consumers. According to a report analyzing U.S. household energy expenditures, the average American household spends $2,150 each year on home energy bills. Meeting the energy standards in advanced building codes typically cut such costs by 15% or more, saving the average household more than $300 each year.⁵

Implementing the 2012 IECC with local amendments will help save consumers on their overall energy costs, reduce our city’s carbon footprint, and support the thousands of local jobs tied to the energy and renewable energy industries. 

We look forward to working with council staff, green building stakeholders, and workforce development advocates to ensure that as stronger codes and above-code programs are implemented, workers on both the energy management side and on the construction side are provided adequate training and access to career pathways in the clean economy.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.

On behalf of the Texas BlueGreen Alliance steering committee,

Dave Cortez                                                            

Coordinator, Texas BlueGreen Alliance                     

James Delgado

Youthbuild/AmeriCorps Deputy Director, American Youthworks






Chris Wagner                                     

Business Manage/Financial Secretary, IBEW Local Union 520                          

   

Cyrus Reed
Conservation Director, Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter

Mike Cunningham

Executive Director & Secretary/Treasurer

Texas Building & Construction Trades Council

cc:  Council Member Sheryl Cole

 Council Member Mike Martinez

 Council Member Laura Morrison

 Council Member Chris Riley

 Council Member Bill Spelman

 Council Member Kathie Tovo

¹  SEED – Sustainability Education & Economic Development. American Association of Community Colleges. (2011) “Green Building Resource Center.” Available at: http://www.theseedcenter.org/Resources/Resource-Center-Description/How-Are-the-Resources-Organized-#greenbuilding. [Accessed 30 November 2011].

² A Green Economy is a Growth Economy: How Green Building Supports Job Creation, Workforce Transformation and Economic Recovery. USGBC Market Brief. 2011. https://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=10759

3  The Green Residential Building Market. McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012. http://analyticsstore.construction.com/index.php/green-homes-results-fact-sheet.html

4 EIA Annual Energy Outlook, 2010.

⁵ Alliance to Save Energy, U.S. Household Energy Expenditures, 2010.

Stop HB 2026 and Preserve Good Jobs for Working Texans

Preserve, Strengthen, and Expand the Texas Renewable Portfolio Standard to Create Family-Supporting Jobs

   

March 27, 2013

Testimony to Texas House State Affairs Committee

Thank you Mr. Chairman and members. My name is David Cortez. I’m here today representing the members of the Texas BlueGreen Alliance and am speaking against HB 2026.

Earlier today the House passed HB 4 in an effort to address our ongoing drought and water security issues. The House also honored CPS Energy for their commitment to securing a diverse energy portfolio for their ratepayers while also creating good jobs. Both of these actions directly relate to our discussion here today about growing the renewable energy industry in Texas.

In 1999 and again in 2005, the Texas Legislature exhibited visionary leadership by adopting and expanding the Renewable Portfolio Standard. In crafting this good policy, the Legislature set our state on a path to become a national leader in energy independence and economic prosperity.

I want to put a face on the 25,798 wind jobs and 3,346 solar jobs cited in the Governor’s 2012 Energy Report, the same jobs tied to the renewable energy market that this successful policy has helped develop.

Mr. Sterling McIntosh, a Big Spring native and West Texas Ironworker, found work constructing wind towers and doing high-elevation rescue training near Sweetwater, Texas.

Brother Ben Brenneman of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 520 in Austin was inspired by the state’s commitment to renewable energy and entered into a 5-year apprenticeship program to become a NABCEP certified solar electrician. The apprenticeship programs at Local 520 and in electrical worker halls around the state are preparing a new generation of renewable energy workers. Those workers, Ben, his loving wife Emily and their two-year old daughter Daphne all have a future directly tied to this body’s commitment to a maintaining and expanding our state’s diverse energy portfolio.

Lastly, I want to bring to your attention to Ms. Ivon Vega, her partner Chris, and their 3-year old daughter Mia. Through the highly successful jobs training and GED completion programs offered by American Youthworks, Chris and Ivon have abandoned the lives of high-school dropouts and instead begun to pursue careers in the renewable energy field.

“We were getting money however we could get it,” said Ivon and Chris. “We never really knew what ‘green’ meant before. Now it’s sort of a life concept that is helping us build our family.”

The RPS that we’re discussing today has and continues to this day to develop a market for well-paying renewable energy jobs that have led to widespread economic prosperity while addressing the crises of our energy crunch and continuing drought, and helping to maintain low electricity prices.

On behalf of the skilled tradesmen and women, advocates for drought-resistant sources of energy, and working families who comprise the membership of the Texas BlueGreen Alliance, we strongly oppose any effort to repeal our state’s highly successful RPS, and look forward to working with each of you to strengthen and expand the policy in order to bring more 21^st century manufacturing, installation, and energy generation jobs to Texas.

Thank you and I’m happy to answer any questions.