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Energy Director Sees Green

The current status of Nevada ’s energy policy requires a brief look backward. Rebecca Wagner, Director of the Nevada State Office of Energy explained that Assembly Bill 385 (AB385) “morphed” into AB3 in the Special Session of 2005. AB3, dealing with a number of energy efficiency provisions, is under legal review to determine the “specific actions” necessary to implement the legislation. However, the Nevada State Office of Energy (NSOE) intends to direct the future of Nevada’s building toward higher performance—or "green” building methods. Ms. Wagner has said that this will ultimately include not only energy efficiency, but will also incorporate resource conservation, following the tenets that the building envelope, energy usage and source, water, and waste minimization are all part of the total scope of "building green”.

According to Wagner, the policy objective of AB3 is to encourage the construction of green building in both the public and private sector. Accordingly, the NSOE is responsible for adopting a green building rating system such as the Leadership in Energy Efficient Design (LEED), created by the U.S. Green Building Council, To encourage green building in the private sector, the legislation includes property tax abatements for developers of green buildings that meet standards adopted by the NSOE. Currently, the Committee on Economic Development is in the process of adopting regulations that establish procedures for administering the property tax abatement. Additionally, new state-owned buildings must be designed and constructed in accordance with the green building guidelines established by the NSOE. The NSOE will use LEED as the model for developing green building guidelines. LEED has gained momentum and acceptance for the last few years, originating in the northeast United States and spreading through academic and architectural circles.

It is important to note that guidelines for residential building have not yet been established, and this bill does not directly apply to residential building projects. However, Wagner plans to evaluate residential green building programs for future recommendations to the legislature. Wagner has invited Northern Nevada builders to participate in the process of developing green building guidelines, and plans to begin the formal regulation making process this spring. While AB3 does not mandate green building standards for the private sector, Wagner encourages builders to consider incorporating green building concepts, especially energy efficiency, in residential building. Wagner will look to the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association’s "Green Building Work Group" findings to help determine guidelines appropriate for southern Nevada. BANN is considering the formation of a similar subcommittee within its Codes Committee to look at data and make recommendations specific to northern Nevada, possibly in cooperation with the University of Nevada.

Wagner and her staff regularly receive calls from consumers requesting energy efficiency information:
Which builders are building more energy efficient homes? What are the home’s features? Who is building green? Ecofriendly? Are energy efficient mortgages (EEMs} available? What is Nevada doing to save consumers money on energy? Flow is the state helping the environment?

• Changes builders can make to improve energy efficiency
• Resources that are available to builders
• Consumer protection and energy awareness in Nevada
• Recommendations the department will make to the Governor

With the rising cost of energy, it is even more critical to incorporate energy efficiency measures into each and every home,” claims Wagner. ‘The Nevada Stale Office of Energy is committed 10 green building and will encourage the construction of high performance, energy-efficient buildings throughout the State.”

By: Janie Glidden

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