[Earth Day HTX: Building Optimization]
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ABOUT THIS.ALL RIGHT, I'M GONNA DOUBLE CHECK TO MAKE SURE THIS IS WORKING.
I AM A CITY OF HOUSTON EMPLOYEE IN THE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
I RUN THE GREEN BUILDING RESOURCE CENTER FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON IN, UH, THE PERMITTING CENTER, WHICH IS OVER ON WASHINGTON.
AND WE HAVE A COUPLE OF FOLKS HERE, UM, FROM THE PERMITTING CENTER AS WELL.
SO WE'RE WELL REPRESENTED TODAY.
UM, SO I'M GONNA START OFF WITH INTRODUCING, UH, MY FELLOW SPEAKERS HERE.
WE HAVE, UH, BYRON KING IS THE, UH, BUILDING OFFICIAL FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
HE'S A GRADUATE OF TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY WITH A DEGREE IN CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, AND HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN CONSTRUCTION AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR OVER 35 YEARS WITH 32 OF THOSE YEARS WORKING WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
YEAH, SO, UM, HE CAN TALK, UM, CODE ENFORCEMENT, LET ME TELL YOU.
THEN WE HAVE HEATH WERK, THEN'S A GRADUATE OF SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY WITH A DEGREE IN ENGLISH, AND HAS WORKED IN BUILDING CODE ENFORCEMENT FOR THE LAST NINE YEARS AS PART OF THE CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE AND CO-DEVELOPMENT GROUP.
AND HE'S DOING THE INCREDIBLE HARD WORK OF THIS MODERNIZATION PROGRAM, AND THEY'LL TELL YOU ABOUT HOW MANY CODES THAT IS AND WHAT HAVE YOU.
THEN WE HAVE, UH, NICK NICHOLAS HADJI.
GEORGE IS THE ASSISTANT CHIEF POLICY OFFICER OF THE UTILITY REGULATION FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND, UH, HE'S BEEN PART OF THE CITY'S CLIMATE ACTION PLANNING EFFORTS AND WORKS WITH THE CITY DEPARTMENTS TO IMPLEMENT THE HOUSTON'S BUILDING BENCHMARKING AND DECARBONIZATION POLICY.
AND SO HE'S IN THE, UH, A RA DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATION AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS.
AND, UM, ARE YOU FULL-TIME WITH MOORES OR JUST KIND OF WE ALL WORK TOGETHER ON THE PROJECTS.
SO HE IS HIGHLY INVOLVED WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY.
SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET'S GET THIS GOING.
UH, BYRON KING IS GONNA TALK ABOUT OUR CODE MONETIZATION PROGRAM.
THERE'S THE CLICKER BY THE END.
WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY.
I HOPE EVERYONE IS NOT ASLEEP FROM THAT BEAUTIFUL LUNCHES THAT Y'ALL HAD.
AND, UH, GOT A FEW SLIDES FOR YOU HERE.
UH, AGAIN, MY NAME IS BYRON KING.
I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY FOR A WHILE NOW, AS YOU JUST HEARD, UH, STARTED OUT AS A LOWLY INSPECTOR AND MOVED UP, AND THEN LO AND BEHOLD, HERE I AM, AND I'M LIKE, MAN, IT'S TIME TO RETIRE.
AND WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS START OFF AS WHO WE ARE, WHO WE ARE.
UH, I WORK IN HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, AS YOU CAN TELL FROM MY JACKET, OUR DIRECTOR, CAROL HADDOCK.
UH, WE, ALL OF US, WHEREVER WE ARE, WE LIKE TO START OFF WITH OUR PURPOSE HERE.
UH, THERE WE GO, WHO WE ARE, OUR PURPOSE.
TOGETHER, WE CREATE A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR HOUSTON TO THRIVE, UH, WITH THE AMOUNT OF EMPLOYEES THAT CITY, UH, CITY OF HOUSTON, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS
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HAS.WE ALWAYS START OFF WITH THIS BECAUSE OUR FATHER THRIVE VALUES IS RESPECT, OWNERSHIP, COMMUNICATION, INTEGRITY, AND TEAMWORK.
UH, THE ONE THING WE ALWAYS SAY IS WE RESPECT EACH OTHER.
WE TAKE OWNERSHIP OF EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, BUT WE ALSO MAKE SURE THAT WE COMMUNICATE.
BUT THEN WE ALSO HAVE THE INTEGRITY THAT WE HAVE AT HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS TO ENSURE THAT THE TEAMWORK THAT WE PROVIDE WITH EVERYONE, THAT IT NOT JUST GOES WITH US, BUT ALSO WITH THE CITIZENS OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS IS ENORMOUS COMPARED TO OTHER CITIES.
WE HAVE 16,000 LANE MILES OF STREETS, 3,900 MILES OF STORM DRAIN, UH, 2,800 MILES OF ROADSIDE DITCHES.
WE HAVE AN OPERATING BUDGET OF 2.7 BILLION.
ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS IS 467 TYPE OF PERMITS.
BUT AS YOU SEE, 4,200 EMPLOYEES THAT WE HAVE ON THAT WORKS IN HOUSTON, PUBLIC WORKS, IT IS THE LARGEST DEPARTMENT WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
NOW THAT I'VE TALKED ABOUT, UH, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HOUSTON.
NOW, THE REGION, OUR REGION IS 7.1 MILLION PEOPLE, BUT THERE ARE ALSO, WE HAVE 3.1 MILLION JOBS.
AND OUT OF THAT, JUST IN HOUSTON ALONE, WE HAVE TWO POINT MILLION 2.3 MILLION PEOPLE.
BUT THE GOOD THING ABOUT IT, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT OUR MAYOR, AND ALSO ALL OF US STRESS, IS THERE IS ONE IN FOUR FOREIGN BORN THAT LIVE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SO WE ARE MULTI-CULTURAL DIVERSE CITY THAT WE HAVE.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, THE INDUSTRY SHARE, HOUSTON MSA EMPLOYMENT FROM THIS TABLE THAT YOU SEE HERE, UH, YOU NOTICE 21% OF THE JOBS ARE TRADE, TRANSPORTATION, AND UTILITIES.
THE ONE THING I WANT YOU TO LOOK AT, 13% OF THAT IS IN GOVERNMENT, 13% IN GOVERNMENT, AND THEN 9% IS MINING, LOGGING AND CONSTRUCTION, AS YOU CAN SEE ON HERE.
AND ONCE WHEN IT WAS HOUSTON WAS FORMED IN 1836, YOU CAN SEE, OF COURSE, THERE'S NOTHING THERE.
NOW, WHEN MY STAFF PUT THIS TOGETHER, THE ONE THING THAT I NOTICED WAS THAT IF HOUSTON WAS IN 1836, MAN, SIX 10 BELTWAY, I MEAN, I'M STILL TRYING TO FIGURE THAT ONE OUT, BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY DID.
BUT TO, TO LOOK AT IT MORE SERIOUSLY THOUGH, IF YOU NOTICE, THERE'S NOTHING THERE IN 1836, AND THEN BY THE 1920S, HAD THE SHIP CHANNEL GOING IN THAT LITTLE, IS THERE POINT ON THIS, STEVE? NO, NO POINTER.
SO IF YOU NOTICE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF 1920S, YOU SEE THAT LITTLE RED THAT IS THE SHIP CHANNEL.
BUT AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW FROM THE THIRTIES TO FORTIES, FIFTIES AND SIXTIES, SIXTIES IS WHERE YOU SEE A MAJOR GROWTH IN THE CITY.
BUT THEN WHEN YOU GET TO SINCE 2000, YOU CAN SEE HOW FAR IT HU THE CITY OF HOUSTON ENCOMPASSES.
AND I CAN GUARANTEE YOU IT GR IF THE CITY'S GROWING CONSTRUCTION IS BOOMING RIGHT NOW.
NOW, WHY ARE WE, WHY ARE WE HERE? WHY ARE WE HERE? RESILIENCY, DEFINITION, THE CAP, THE CAPACITY WITHIN AN URBAN AREA TO SURVIVE, ADAPT, AND THRIVE NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF CHRONIC STRESSES AND ACUTE SHOCKS THEY EXPERIENCE.
NOW, THE MAYOR, CITY OF HOUSTON HAS RESILIENCY, UH, POLICY VISION FOR RESILIENT HOUSTON, WHAT IS IT? HEALTHY PLACE TO LIVE, EQUITABLE, INCLUSIVE, AND AFFORDABLE CITY.
A LEADER, HE WANTS US TO BE A LEADER IN CLIMATE, CLIMATE ADAPTION, AND A CITY THAT GROWS UP BUT NOT OUT, BUT ALSO A TRANSFORMATIVE ECONOMY THAT BUILDS FORWARD THE CAPACITY OF INDIVIDUALS, COMMUNITIES, INSTITUTIONS, BUSINESSES, AND SYSTEMS. ALL OF THAT ENCOMPASSES RESILIENCY.
HOW DO WE DO THAT WHEN IT COMES TO CONSTRUCTION, WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, GOAL 11 OF THAT POLICY, IT SAYS, WE WILL MODERNIZE HOUSTON'S INFRASTRUCTURE TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES OF THE FUTURE.
HOW DO WE DO THAT? AND WE GONNA ADVANCE AND MODERNIZE THE BUILDING CODES AND STANDARDS.
AND IT GOES ON TO SAY 36.1, THE COMPREHENSIVE RE.
WE ARE GONNA COMPREHENSIVELY REVIEW AND UPDATE CURRENT BUILDING CODES, WHICH WE ARE DOING NOW, ADOPT A MINIMUM FIVE YEAR UPDATE FREQUENCY FOR BUILDING CODES, AND THAT'S US BUILDING CODE ENFORCEMENT.
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE PLANNING REVIEW AND AMEND LOT SIZE AND COVERAGE AREA REQUIREMENTS FOR SUBDIVISIONS, THAT'S PLANNING DEVELOPMENT, WHICH THEY'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON.
REVIEW, 36 POINT FOURISH, REMOVE AND AMEND BUILDING THE ELEVATION REQUIREMENTS FOR STRUCTURES OUTSIDE OF THE REGULATORY FLOOD PLAIN.
THAT'S DONE BY THE BUILDING ENGINEER OFFICE OF THE CITY ENGINEER, WHO IS SUE HILL CONWELL.
HE AND I WORK HAND IN HAND WHILE WE ARE GOING THROUGH THE BUILDING CODES AND ALSO, UM, IDM, THE INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN MANUAL TO WHERE WE WORK
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HAND IN HAND, AND HOW WE CAN IMPLEMENT THIS.BECAUSE WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN GOING ON, AND I'M GONNA TOUCH ON THIS LATER ON IN THE, IN MY PRESENTATION, HOW CAN WE, HOW DOES BUILDING CODE AFFECT IT WHEN IT COMES TO THE FLOOD PLAIN? NEXT ON THAT IS 36.5, WHERE IT SAYS, ADOPT THE RESILIENT BUILDING CRITERIA FOR CITY SPONSORED HOUSING RECOVERY AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
THAT'S DONE THROUGH THE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL CRITICAL AND ESSENTIAL FACILITIES OR FORTIFICATION AND ALSO REVIEW AND AMEND WATERSHED BASED REGULATIONS FOR DETENTION AND DRAINAGE REQUIREMENTS.
THAT GOES BACK TO THAT FLOOD PLAN.
HOW DO WE GET THE WATER COMES IN? HOW DO WE GET THE WATER OUT? THAT IS THE OFFICE OF THE CITY ENGINEER'S OFFICE THAT HANDLES THAT.
BUILDING CODES, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I DO, WHAT MY STAFF DO.
CURRENTLY, WE HAVE A STAFF, I HAVE A STAFF OF OVER LITTLE OVER 400, UH, PEOPLE THAT WORK IN BUILDING CODE ENFORCEMENT.
THEY DEAL WITH STRUCTURAL, MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING.
IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT REQUIRES A PERMIT WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, IT COMES THROUGH MY PARTICULAR OFFICE.
UH, NOW I TALKED A LITTLE BIT EARLIER, BUT I WANNA GO INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE ESCALATING THREAT OF NATIONAL DISASTERS.
SINCE 19 80, 19 80, THE UNITED STATES HAS SUSTAINED OVER 1.6 TRILLION, NOT BILLION TRILLION IN LOSSES DUE TO NATURAL DISASTERS.
THIS ESCALATING THREAT AND COST ASSOCIATED WITH NATURAL DISASTERS IS INCREASING BECAUSE OF ONE INCREASED SEVERITY AND FREQUENCY OF THE HAZARDS.
AND TWO, THE POPULATION GROWTH IN HAZARD PRONE AREAS.
BOTH HOUSTON AND THE STATE OF TEXAS IS NO STRANGER TO NATIONAL DISASTERS AND EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS.
HAVING GONE THROUGH MANY SUCH EVENTS IN JUST THE LAST DECADE, THE 2019 NORTH TEXAS TORNADOES RESULTED IN AN ESTIMATED 2 BILLION IN DAMAGES.
HURRICANE HARVEY, AS ALL OF US KNOW, IF YOU WASN'T LIVING IN HOUSTON AT THAT TIME, THAT WAS IN 2017, RESULTED IN 89 DEATHS AND A TOTAL OF $126.3 BILLION IN LOSSES.
A TOTAL OF $126.3 BILLION IN LOSS.
THAT IS JUST HURRICANE HARVEY.
OTHER EVENTS SUCH AS THE 2016 YEAR OR MORE IN TAX DAY FLOODS AND TROPICAL STORM IN MEL IN 2019 HAS EXTENSIVELY SHOWN THAT HOUSTON'S PATH TO PAR MARTIN BUILDING CODES AND CONSTRUCTION RESILIENCY IS MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER.
I TALKED ABOUT IT, BUT IF YOU CAN SEE HERE IN THIS CHART, YOU SEE WHERE IT SAYS THE US COST OF NATURAL DISASTERS, THE ONE RIGHT TO LEFT 2017.
THAT IS JUST HARVEY IN ITSELF.
BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE CHART AS A WHOLE ITSELF, THE TREND LINE INDICATES AN INCREASED IN COST OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN THE FUTURE.
THAT'S JUST IN THE TREND LINE THAT YOU SEE LITTLE BIT BY HARVEY.
AND AUGUST OF 2017, WHEN HARVEY DUMPED 52 INCHES OF RAIN IN A FIVE D-DAY PERIOD, 52 INCHES, THE STORM IMPACTED OVER 300,000 HOUSEHOLDS AND CAUSED OVER 2.5 BILLION IN DAMAGED CITY FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
2.5 BILLION IN CITY FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
THAT IS NOT THE HOUSES, THE BUILDINGS ITSELF, THAT'S JUST THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND CITY FACILITIES OVER THAT PARTICULAR TIME.
NOW, WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BUILDING CODES? CONSTRUCTION CODES SIGNIFICANTLY MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF HURRICANE STORM SURGES AND EXTREME WEATHER CHANGES.
AS YOU CAN SEE IN THIS PICTURE OF ROCK ROCKPORT, TEXAS, AFTER HURRICANE HARVEY STRUCTURES BUILT TO NEW ADDITIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CODE COUNCIL AND INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PLUMBING AND MECHANICAL OFFICIALS CLEARLY PROVIDE MORE RESILIENT CONSTRUCTION.
AND I'LL SAY ICC OR ATMO, UH, FAR AS CODE GURU GUYS, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE HOUSE THAT WAS BUILT IN 1972 MM, IT'S NOT THERE.
BUT THE, THE OLDER, THE, THE NEWER CODES THAT YOU SEE WILL PROVIDE MORE SAFETY THAN THE HOUSES THAT WERE BUILT YEARS AGO.
NOW, WHAT IS NEEDED? A LOT OF PEOPLE IF YOU GO TO A CITY, WILL NOT KNOW WHO THE BUILDING OFFICIAL IS.
WELL, THAT ONE PARTICULAR PERSON, THAT CAN ONLY BE ONE BUILDING OFFICIAL.
BUT THE THING IS THAT BUILDING OFFICIAL RUNS, BUILDING CODE ENFORCEMENT AND, UH, MAKE ENSURES THAT THE AS CHAPTER ONE AND THE BUILDING CODE SAYS, ENSURES LIFE SAFETY OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE BUILDING.
WELL, CONSUMERS DON'T OFTEN WORRY ABOUT THE BUILDING CODES IN THEIR COMMUNITY.
THE NONPROFIT FEDERAL ALLIANCE FOR SAFE HOMES FLASH
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FOUND THAT EIGHT OUT OF 10 HOMEOWNERS IN AT RISK AREAS INCORRECTLY ASSUME THEIR COMMUNITY HAS STRONG BUILDING CODES IN PLACE.THEY TRUST THAT AS LIKE WITH AUTOMOBILES, THE GOVERNMENT WOULD NEVER ABANDON CONSUMER PROTECTIONS WHEN FAMILY SAFETY AND FINANCIAL SECURITY IS ON THE LINE.
NOW, BUILDING CODES SAVE AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, IF YOU WERE TO SPEND JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE MONEY WHEN YOU'RE DOING BUILDING THAT HOUSE ONE TO 2%, IT WILL SAVE YOU INSTEAD OF HAVING, AS YOU SEE HERE ON THE LEFT, YOU HAVE A PLAIN HOUSE, BUT IF YOU JUST SPEND A LITTLE BIT MORE, PUT STORM RENTALS IN THERE, $4,500 BASED ON OVERALL COST.
IT'LL SAVE YOU MONEY OR DAMAGE WHEN THE HURRICANE OR, UH, NATURAL DISASTER HITS.
SO FOR AN 0.7 COST INCREASE A BUILDING, WE HAVE THE EXTRA STIFFNESS TO WITHSTAND SHAKING DURING AN EARTHQUAKE.
A NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BUILDING SCIENCES STUDY FOUND THAT ADOPTING MODERN MODEL CO BUILDING CODES SAVE $11 FOR EVERY DOLLAR INVESTED THROUGH EARTHQUAKE, FLOOD AND WIND MITIGATION BENEFITS.
AND IT SAVES $4 FOR EVERY $1 INVESTED IN WILDFIRE INVE MITIGATION.
THIS SAVINGS REPRESENTS AVOIDED CASUALTIES, LESS POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS, DIOR DISORDER, REDUCED PROPERTY DAMAGE, FEWER BUSINESS INTERRUPTIONS, LOWER INSURANCE PREMIUMS, AND QUANTIFIES THE SIGNIFICANT ROLE MARTIN CODES HAVE IN PROTECTING US.
BUT THE INSTRUCTIVE FORCES OF DISASTERS, BUILDING CODES SAVE ALSO FEMA'S LANDMARK STUDY.
THE BUILDING CODES SAVE A NATIONWIDE STUDY SHOWS THAT MODERN BUILDING CODES LEAD TO MAJOR REDUCTION IN PROPERTY LOSSES FROM NATURAL DISASTERS, MAJOR REDUCTION IN PROPERTY LOSSES FROM NATURAL DISASTERS.
IF WE JUST DO ONE SMALL THING AS FAR AS KEEPING UP WITH THE BUILDING CODES, I MEAN, I CANNOT STRESS THAT ENOUGH.
FEMA STUDIES SHOWS THAT AN ESTIMATED 132 BILLION IN PROPERTY LOSSES COULD BE AVOIDED WITH THE USE OF MARTIN DAY CODES.
RIGHT NOW, THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WE ARE CURRENTLY OPERATING UNDER THE 2015, UH, WHICH WE JUST ADOPTED LAST YEAR.
AND WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF GOING TOWARDS THE 2021, UH, CODE.
CITY OF HOUSTON CONSTRUCTION CODES AS WE SPEAK, HOPEFULLY PERIPHERALLY, WE'LL GET THAT TO COUNCIL, UH, LATER ON THIS YEAR.
THE NONPROFIT FLASH FOUND OUT THAT TWO OUT OF THREE CITIES AND TOWNS IN THE US FACING FLOODS, HIGH WIND, HURRICANE SEISMIC, OR TORNADO HAZARDS DON'T HAVE CURRENT BUILDING CODES IN PLACE.
NOW, UNFORTUNATELY, THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS IN THE SAME PLACE.
LIKE I SAID, WE'RE IN THE, WE WENT FROM THE 2012 TO THE 2015, BUT ONE OF MY DIRECTIVES, 'CAUSE I'VE BEEN IN THIS JOB NOW FOR A LITTLE COMING UP ON A YEAR, IS TO GET US TO THE 2021 CODE.
AND THAT IS THE CODE MODERNIZATION PROJECT, UH, THAT WE ARE, THAT WE ARE WORKING ON AS WE SPEAK NOW, WE WANT TO ADOPT A 2021 CODE AS A BASE CODE WITH LOCAL AMENDMENTS.
WHAT WILL IT DO? WHAT WILL THIS DO? IT WILL HELP US STRENGTHEN AND ENSURE LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCY IN HOUSTON.
IT DO NOT REDUCE THE FIRE OF LIFE SAFETY PROVISIONS.
AGAIN, WHEN I SAID EARLIER CHAPTER ONE OF THE BUILDING CODE SAYS IS TO PROVIDE THE MINIMUM LIFE SAFETY FOR THE INHABITANTS OF THE BUILDING.
THAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE CODES.
THE LAST ONE IS, COMPLY WITH THE INTENT OF THE CODE AND QUALITY, STRENGTH, EFFECTIVENESS, FIRE RESISTANCE, DURABILITY, AND SAFETY.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE THINK THAT, UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON DOES IS WHAT THE BUILDING CODE IS.
WE OUGHT TO HURT PEOPLE OR HURT CONTRACTORS IN THEM OR SLOWING THEM DOWN WHILE THEY'RE TRYING TO CONSTRUCT A BUILDING.
THE INTENT IS TO PROVIDE, MAKE SURE THAT THAT CONTRACTOR IS DOING WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO, NOT CUTTING CORNERS.
AND I'M NOT SAYING I'M NOT, ANYONE IS NOT SAYING THAT AT ALL.
ALL WE WANT TO DO IS MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER IS DONE IS BEING DONE RIGHT ACCORDING TO THE CODE.
ADOPTING MARTIN BUILDING CODES WILL ALLOW THE CITY TO BUILD BEYOND CONVENTIONAL MINIMUM STANDARDS AND ESTABLISH BUILDING PRACTICES THAT ARE INHERENTLY MORE RESILIENT AND ADAPTIVE, AND HAVE A GREATER FOCUS ON ADVANCES IN BUILDING SCIENCES.
THIS WILL ALLOW HOUSTON TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE RESILIENCY OF OUR COMMUNITIES BY MITIGATING THE DAMAGES CAUSED BY DISASTERS.
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THAT'S PROBABLY SAYING IN TECHNICAL TERMS WHAT I'D SAID PRIOR TO THAT, A FOCUS ON THE CONTINUED IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAMS AND CONSTRUCTION SOLUTIONS THAT WILL FURTHER INCREASE HOUSTON'S RESILIENCY, WORKING WITH AND SUPPORTING OTHER HOUSTON INITIATIVES SUCH AS RESILIENT HOUSTON AND THE HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN COM.AND COMBINE THAT WITH THE ADOPTION OF THE MARTIN BUILDING CODES WILL FURTHER HELP HOUSTON ACHIEVE A HUNDRED PERCENT HAZARD RESISTANT BUILDINGS.
NOW THIS IS THE END OF MY PRESENTATION.
AM I ON TIME, CHIEF? YEAH, YOU ARE ON TIME, IN FACT.
SHALL WE TRY TO GET, UH, LIKE FIVE MINUTES OF, UH, QUESTIONS FOR THIS PARTICULAR COMPONENT AND THEN WE'RE GONNA GO INTO THE NEXT COMPONENT.
ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR, FOR BYRON? YES.
UM, SO YOU SPOKE ABOUT, UH, THE COURT MODERNIZATION AND ON HOUSTON'S WEBSITE, THE COURT AMENDMENTS ARE IN PD YES.
AS AFFILIATE CENTER WORKED WITH OTHER PERMITTING, YOU KNOW, DIVISIONS.
UM, AUSTIN, FOR EXAMPLE, HAS THEIRS ONLINE MM-HMM
UM, IS THAT SOMETHING WE'RE TO DO TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, TO USE DIGITALIZATION TO HELP KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE CODES QUICKER AND MAKE THAT CHANGE FASTER GOING FORWARD? ARE YOU SAYING THE AMENDMENTS, ARE WE GONNA PUT THE AMENDMENTS ON THERE OR? YEAH, THE AMENDMENTS AND HOW THE CODES ARE FOLLOWED AND, YOU KNOW, FOR PERMIT PURPOSES, AUSTIN HAS SOME WAY ALL THE CODES COME UP AND WHAT AMENDMENTS THEY HAVE AND, YOU KNOW, AS OPPOSED TO HOUSTON WHO HAVE LIKE PF AMENDMENTS.
WE HAVE PDF AMENDMENTS, UH, AND I'M, RIGHT NOW OUR AMENDMENTS, YES, THEY ARE POSTED ONLINE AND WHAT WE'RE DOING IS THE TASK FORCE THAT'S GOING ON NOW, ALL THE TASK FORCE THAT'S GOING ON NOW, BECAUSE WE HAVE FOUR TASK FORCE, 1, 2, 3, AND FOUR THAT ARE GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS.
AND WE ARE ALSO POSTING THEM, UH, THE AMENDMENTS THAT ARE BEING PROPOSED AND ALSO WHICH ONES ARE GOING THROUGH ONCE WE FINISH.
YES, IT IS GONNA BE, EVERYTHING'S GONNA BE ONLINE BECAUSE THE, THE GRANT THAT WE RECEIVED, WE, UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON RECEIVED A GRANT THROUGH HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TO DO THE CODE MODERNIZATION.
UH, ONCE WE DO THAT, LIKE WE DO NOW, THAT IS GOING TO BE A, A ROADMAP ON HOW TO DO THIS AFTER THIS YEAR.
SO WHEN WE FINISH, BEFORE WE WENT FROM THE 2006 TO THE 2012 AND WE SKIPPED THE 2009, WELL, WHEN WE WENT TO THE 12, WE, OF COURSE IT TOOK US A WHILE TO GET TO THE 15TH.
NOW THAT WE ARE, WE ARE GONNA SKIP THE 18, GET TO 24.
'CAUSE THE PURE BASE CODES COME OUT EVERY THREE YEARS.
AND THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE, TRY AND DO THIS EVERY THREE YEARS AFTERWARDS SO THAT WE CAN KEEP GOING.
DID THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? YES.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YES, I'M DR. THOMPSON.
UH, THANK YOU DIRECTOR FOR THE PRESENTATION.
SOME OF THE CODE ISSUES ARE REALLY AFFECTING CERTAIN COMMUNITIES BECAUSE YOU HAVE, UH, LAID AN EVOLUTION AND THEN, UH, BROUGHT IN THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE DISASTERS, THE INCIDENTS, AND HOW THAT HAS IMPACTED YOUR WORK AND FUTURE OF YOUR WORK AND WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITIES.
SO HOUSTON IS ACTUALLY WITHIN THAT ENVIRONMENT AND A A WATER LEVEL THAT MAKES IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SOLVE THE FLOODING PROBLEM.
UH, AFTER HURRICANE, THE HURRICANE IN NEW ORLEANS, PEOPLE THOUGHT PEOPLE SHOULD JUST ABANDON THE PLACE AND THEN LET THEM DO SOMETHING ELSE.
WHAT IN TERMS OF CODING AND OTHER RELATED ISSUES, BECAUSE IT SEEMED LIKE WE ARE DOING WELL UNTIL SOMETHING A HEAVY COMES UP OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND THE RESILIENCY DEPARTMENT, THE SUSTAINABILITY DEPARTMENT IS WORKING ON SOME OF THOSE ISSUES, BUT SOME PEOPLE ARE SAYING THAT THEY SHOULD BUY AWAY CERTAIN PEOPLE OUT OF CERTAIN COMMUNITIES, WHICH MITIGATING ARE FACTORS TO TAKE CARE OF.
YOU AS THE DIRECTOR IN THAT AREA, WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE TO GIVE TO SOME OF THESE COMMUNITIES? SOME OF THESE PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THE MINORITIES WHO ARE REALLY IN THOSE CONSTANT FLOOD AREAS.
AND IT LOOKS LIKE NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, THERE'S NO SOLUTION.
ONE OF THE THINGS, UM, THE WAY WE LOOK AT IT, BECAUSE WE DON'T LOOK AT IT AS FAR AS MINORITIES OR, UH, THE MEDIAN INCOME IN CERTAIN AREAS BECAUSE WATER DOESN'T KNOW THAT.
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ALL WE KNOW IS THAT IT, IT MAY FLOOD IN CERTAIN AREAS WITH FEMA PROVIDING THE FLOOD MAPS THAT WE ARE HAVING NOW.AND I ALSO WORK, UH, CLOSELY WITH CHOICE MORROW, WHO IS OUR FLOODPLAIN MANAGER FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
UH, WE WORK HAND IN HAND TO ENSURE THAT THE CODES THAT WE ARE ADOPTING, BECAUSE MATTER OF FACT, OUR B SIX THAT, UH, WE JUST, UH, GOT RESULTS BACK AND THAT WE'RE GONNA BE GOING BACK AND WORKING ON AS WE SPEAK.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WORK ON IS IF WE CAN GET TO THE 2021 CODE THAT WILL PROVIDE US BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE CITY OF HOUSTON WITH LOWER INSURANCE RATES ON THEIR INSURANCE.
SO THAT IS ONE THAT IS A MAJOR WAY THAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO WITH THE CODE MODERNIZATION PROGRAM, THAT, THAT WILL TAKE US TO THE 21 CODE.
THE 2021 CODES THAT WOULD HELP US HELP THE PEOPLE THAT WE ARE TRYING TO HELP FOR THE CITIZENS OF HOUSTON.
I BELIEVE KEITH OR YOUNG LAST QUESTION.
SO, UM, DO THE
SO DO THEY TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT WHEN YOU GUYS ARE UPDATING THE CALLS, THE BUILDING COSTS AND ALL THAT FOR THE FLOOD MAPS? YOU WANNA ANSWER THAT ONE? SO ON THAT TOPIC SPECIFICALLY, UM, I, I'M NOT SURE THE CODES REALLY SPEAK TO THAT JUST YET.
BUT, UM, THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS THAT THE CODES WILL SPEAK TO AND LIKE REINFORCEMENT AND WHATNOT, BUT FOR, FOR HOW TO MITIGATE SOMETHING LIKE THAT OR, OR I DON'T KNOW, KIND OF PUT LIKE A FORCE FIELD, IF YOU WILL, UH, TO PROTECT SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
RIGHT NOW WE DO WORK LIKE, AGAIN, LIKE I WAS TELLING THE GENTLEMAN, WE DO WORK WITH THE FLOODPLAIN GROUP, BUT KEEP IN MIND THE BUILDING CODE OR THE CITY OF HOUSTON CONSTRUCTION CODE IS THE MINIMUM LIFE SAFETY.
IF SOMEONE WANTS TO COME IN AND GO OVER AND ABOVE, THAT'S FINE.
ALSO, THIS IS THE BUILDING CODES IS JUST THE MINIMUM LIFE SAFETY, THAT'S ALL WE ASK FOR.
BUT HOUSE THE MINIMUM, RIGHT? WELL, THAT'S THE THING.
AND WE DO, AND ON BEHALF OF THE CONTRACTORS, THEY DO COME IN AND GO OVER AND BEYOND WHAT IS REQUIRED.
ALSO, WE DO HAVE CONTRACTORS THAT DO THAT ALSO.
SO ON THAT NOTE, WE'RE GONNA GET ONTO THE, UH, SECOND PART OF THIS, UH, THIS HOUR'S, UH, PRESENTATION.
HOW ABOUT A ROUND APPLAUSE FOR BYRON.
WELL THANK YOU PANEL AND GUESTS TODAY.
GEORGE, I'M THE ASSISTANT CHIEF POLICY OFFICER IN, UH, ADMINISTRATION AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS.
I'M GONNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT OUR BUILDING, BENCHMARKING AND DECARBONIZATION POLICY.
UH, SO YOU PROBABLY HAVE HEARD ABOUT THIS BY NOW IF YOU'RE HERE, BUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS A CLIMATE ACTION PLAN THAT WE, UH, ADOPTED IN 2020.
UM, AND IT'S BASICALLY A COLLECTION OF ALL OF OUR GOALS, STRATEGIES, AND ACTIONS THAT THE CITY IS, UH, PLANNING TO TAKE AND IS UNDERTAKING RIGHT NOW TO REDUCE OUR GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
IT HAS FOUR MAIN SECTIONS, WHICH ARE, UH, TRANSPORTATION ENERGY TRANSITION, UH, MATERIALS MANAGEMENT AND TOPIC OF TODAY, WHICH IS BUILDING DECARBONIZATION.
UM, SO IN THAT DECARBONIZATION SECTION, UM, OUR BUILDING OPTIMIZATIONS SECTION OF THE CAP, WE HAVE, UH, THERE WAS A GOAL, THERE'S HUNDREDS OF GOALS IN THERE, AND ONE OF THE GOALS ACTUALLY WAS TO MODERNIZE THE CODE LIKE BYRON JUST TALKED ABOUT.
SO WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS ON THAT.
AND ANOTHER GOAL IN THAT PLAN WAS TO, UH, ADOPT A BUILDING, BENCHMARKING AND DECARBONIZATION POLICY.
AND THESE ARE ACTIONS THAT WILL HELP THE CITY ACHIEVE ITS TARGETS TO REDUCE, UH, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
AND OUR GOAL IS TO BE NET ZERO BY 2050.
UM, THE REASON WHY WE'RE FOCUSING ON BUILDINGS AND THE EMISSIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM IS BECAUSE BUILDINGS MAKE UP 40% OF, UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S
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EMISSIONS.SO IF WE CAN REDUCE OUR GREENHOUSE GASES FROM THAT SECTOR, WE CAN MAKE A HUGE, UH, MAKE A HUGE AMOUNT OF PROGRESS TOWARD OUR GOAL, UH, TO BECOMING NET ZERO.
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS DECARBONIZATION? WELL, UH, IT REFERS TO THE REDUCTION IN ELIMINATION OF EMITTING CARBON DIOXIDE THROUGH STRATEGIES AND RECALIBRATION OF, UH, THE WAY WE OPERATE THINGS TOWARDS A CARBON FREE ECONOMY AND A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT.
UH, WHEN IT COMES TO BUILDINGS, BUILDINGS THEMSELVES DON'T NORMALLY, UH, EMIT CARBON.
THE CARBON THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH, UM, BUILDINGS COMES FROM THE ENERGY THAT WE USE.
SO IF YOU WANNA REDUCE THE EMISSIONS FROM A BUILDING, YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE BUILDING MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT, REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF POWER IT USES, THE AMOUNT OF POWER YOUR MACHINES CONSUME.
UM, AND AS YOU ARE PROBABLY AWARE, UH, THERE'S DIFFERENT KINDS OF, UH, GREENHOUSE GASES THAT HAVE DIFFERENT GLOBAL WARMING IMPACTS, METHANE BEING, UH, WORSE THAN CO2, AND THEN YOU HAVE REFRIGERANTS AND OTHER THINGS THAT ARE THOUSANDS OF TIMES WORSE THAN CO2 AND METHANE.
AND THAT'S ALL PART OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHEN WE'RE DECARBONIZING A BUILDING.
UM, SO LIKE, AS I MENTIONED, THE CITY OF HOUSTON ADOPTED A BUILDING BENCHMARKING POLICY IN 2021, UH, 2022, SORRY.
AND IT'S AP IT'S ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY THREE DASH 40.
IT'S A REALLY GREAT DOCUMENT THAT WE PUT TOGETHER, UM, TO SET FORTH HOW WE ARE GOING TO ACHIEVE, UH, ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN OUR OWN BUILDINGS, SUCH AS THIS ONE THAT YOU'RE IN RIGHT NOW.
SO WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BENCHMARK A BUILDING? UM, BASICALLY YOU TAKE THE DATA ABOUT HOW MUCH ENERGY YOU'RE BUILDING IS CONSUMING, HOW MUCH WATER YOU'RE USING, AND THEN YOU LOOK AT THAT OVER TIME, AND THEN YOU COMPARE THAT BUILDING'S PERFORMANCE TO PRIOR YEARS TO SEE WHERE IT'S GOING.
AND YOU COMPARE IT TO OTHER SIMILAR TYPES OF BUILDINGS TO SEE, OKAY, ARE WE IN LINE WITH THE BEST PRACTICES OR THE STANDARDS THAT WE SHOULD BE FOLLOWING? UM, AND FOR EXAMPLE, THIS BUILDING RIGHT NOW THAT YOU'RE IN IS BEING BENCHMARKED AND WE TRACK ALL OF THAT INFORMATION AND I THINK IT HAS A SCORE OF 100.
SO IT'S A REALLY GREAT EXAMPLE OF AN ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDING.
THIS IS A TIMELINE OF HOW WE GOT HERE.
IT'S BEEN A MORE THAN A DECADE IN THE MAKING, BUT THE CITY HAD AN ENERGY EFFICIENCY POLICY IN 2011 THAT WAS, UM, A GREAT START IN REQUIRING, UH, THE CITY BUILDINGS TO BE ENERGY EFFICIENT, UM, WITH THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN DURING THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION THAT BROUGHT A LOT OF MONEY TO HOUSTON TO DO SOME THINGS.
AND WE STARTED, UH, BENCHMARKING SOME BEGINNING, UH, SOME BUILDINGS HERE.
UM, THAT WAS KIND OF THE STATUS QUO UNTIL MAYOR TURNER BECAME, UH, THE MAYOR OF HOUSTON AND DIRECTED THE CITY TO CREATE A CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, WHICH WE COMPLETED IN 2020.
UM, AGAIN, THAT PLAN CALLED FOR THE CREATION OF, UH, BUILDING BENCHMARKING AND DECARBONIZATION POLICY, WHICH WE, UH, WORKED WITH OUR CONSULTANTS FROM THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE TO DEVELOP.
UM, THEN THAT POLICY, UH, WAS PASSED, UH, IT WAS DEVELOPED AND ADOPTED, UH, IN MAY OF 2022.
AND NOW WE'RE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE USING ANOTHER AMAZING CONTRACTOR THAT WE WORK WITH, UH, THE HOUSTON ADVANCED RESEARCH CENTER.
AND WE ARE CURRENTLY, UH, THE POLICY IS IN EFFECT AND WE ARE IMPLEMENTING IT RIGHT NOW.
SO THE POLICY, THIS IS JUST A, YOU KNOW, SOME, SOME LANGUAGE.
UH, THE IMPORTANT THING TO SEE HERE IS THAT IT COVERS EXISTING BUILDINGS AND IT COVERS NEW OR REPLACEMENT BUILDINGS.
SO GOING FORWARD, EVERYTHING THAT THE CITY WILL DO WILL, UH, THIS POLICY WILL APPLY TO ALL CITY FACILITIES GOING FORWARD.
AND I'M JUST GONNA HIGHLIGHT SOME COOL, UH, LANGUAGE THAT WE PUT IN THERE TO HELP US RE OUR DECARBONIZATION GOALS.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, THERE'S SOME LANGUAGE IN HERE ABOUT BACKUP POWER AND HOW, UH, WE WANT TO HAVE THAT BACKUP POWER BE CARBON NEUTRAL.
WE'RE GONNA PRIORITIZE METHODS THAT ARE NOT, UM, BURNING CARBON ON SITE.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF SOME LANGUAGE FROM THE POLICY IS THAT WE ARE GOING TO REQUIRE EACH, UM, CITY FACILITY TO HAVE A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF ITS PARKING BE, UH, DEDICATED TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING.
ANOTHER REALLY, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UH, IMPORTANT FEATURE OF THE POLICY IS TO LOOK AT EMBODIED CARBON.
SO THAT'S THE CARBON THAT WAS USED TO DEVELOP THE MATERIALS THAT YOU PUT INTO YOUR BUILDING.
SO WE HAVE SOME GREAT LANGUAGE AND SOME STANDARDS HERE TO LOWER THAT.
UM, AND THEN I'M GONNA DO A LITTLE DEEP DIVE INTO WHAT BENCHMARKING LOOKS LIKE AND HOW WE DO IT RIGHT NOW.
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WE USE A TOOL CALLED ENERGY STAR PORTFOLIO MANAGER.IT'S A FREE, UH, WEBSITE THAT YOU CAN USE.
ANYONE CAN USE IT, YOU CAN USE IT FOR YOUR OWN HOUSE OR YOUR OWN BUSINESS.
UM, AND IT'S RUN BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND WE PUT ALL OF OUR BUILDINGS IN THERE.
SO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE ABOUT 560, UH, BUILDINGS THAT WE'RE BENCHMARKING OUT OF OUR 1600 PLUS, UM, THAT WE HAVE IN OUR PORTFOLIO.
AND THIS IS JUST SOME DETAILS ON HOW IT WORKS.
UM, THE COOL THING ABOUT, UH, ENERGY STAR IS THAT WHEN YOU PLUG IN A LIBRARY, IT WILL GO TO A NATIONAL DATABASE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY NUMBERS FOR LIBRARIES AND TELL YOU WHERE YOU SHOULD BE WITH YOUR BUILDING.
SO EVEN IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE, UH, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE NOT SURE HOW MUCH YOU SHOULD BE USING THIS TOOL WILL HELP YOU FIGURE THAT OUT.
UM, AND JUST TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF THE SCALE OF THIS PROJECT THAT THE CITY IS UNDERTAKING, HERE'S A TYPICAL PROPERTY THAT WE WE'RE DEALING WITH IN BENCHMARKING.
SO THIS IS A, WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT ON THE SCREEN IS A PUBLIC WORKS MAINTENANCE FACILITY,
IT'S A HOUSTON WASTEWATER FACILITY.
AND EACH OF THESE BUILDINGS HAVE DIFFERENT SQUARE FOOTAGES AND DIFFERENT OCCUPANCY LEVELS AND DIFFERENT FILES ASSOCIATED WITH THEM.
SO WHEN YOU WANT TO GET AN ACCURATE BENCHMARK, YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH AND DOCUMENT AND COLLECT DATA FROM EACH OF THESE THINGS.
UM, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW.
AND HERE'S ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF GETTING DOWN TO, YOU KNOW, UM, WE'RE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT FLOOR PLANS AND GATHERING DATA FROM CERTIFICATES OF OCCUPANCY TO GET A REALLY ACCURATE CALCULATION OF THE BUILDING'S DETAILS SO THAT WE CAN GET AN ACCURATE BENCHMARK.
AND THEN ONCE YOU HAVE ALL THAT DATA IN THE SYSTEM, YOU CAN GET THESE COOL INSIGHTS.
UH, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE HERE, THIS IS A COUPLE YEARS OF ENERGY, UH, DATA AT A, AT A BUILDING, AND YOU CAN EASILY SEE, YOU KNOW, SOME PATTERNS, SOME TRENDS, SOME QUESTIONS.
UM, AND THIS IS WHAT WE USE TO GENERATE OUR, UH, YOU COULD CALL THEM CORRECTIVE ACTIONS OR ENERGY EFFICIENCY, UH, MEASURES THAT WE WANT TO IMPLEMENT.
SO THIS IS AN EXAMPLE, UH, ONE OF, ONE EXAMPLE OF US DOING THAT WAS AT THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER.
AND, UM, WITH THE DATA THAT WE HAD IN OUR SYSTEM, WE WERE ABLE TO JUST SPEND A, A, A SMALL AMOUNT OF MONEY AND THEN RETURN, GET A RETURN OF ALMOST 300,000 ON THAT INVESTMENT, UH, JUST FROM ENERGY EFFICIENCY SAVINGS.
YES, I KNOW THAT THERE'S MANY PEOPLE IN HERE WHO ARE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THAT PROJECT, LIKE STEVE.
SO I'LL, I'LL, UH, GO AHEAD AND YES, TAKE THIS FROM HERE.
UM, ON THE LEFT IS THE GRAPH SINCE, UH, WE MOVED IN THE BUILDING IN, IN 2011, SO FISCAL YEAR 2012.
AND SO IT WAS PERFORMING THE WAY IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PERFORMING.
WE HAD A FEW ISSUES, AND THIS IS NOT, UH, JUST CITY OF HOUSTON.
THIS IS GOING ON ALL OVER THE PLACE.
YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU GET A BUILDING AND YOU START WORKING IT AND THE MAINTENANCE IS NOT MAYBE GOING SO WELL.
OKAY? ONE OF THE PEOPLE, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE GRAPH GOING UP RIGHT AFTER ITS KIND OF INITIAL STABLE, UH, STATE, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT WAS DOING THAT WRONG IS NO LONGER WITH THE CITY.
SO THERE'S JUST ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT CAN COME INTO NOT TAKING CARE OF MAINTENANCE THE WAY IT OUGHT TO BE TAKEN CARE OF.
OKAY? SO WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO IS A RETROCOMMISSIONING ON THE RIGHT, UM, CENTER.
THIS IS A, A CASE STUDY BY CENTER POINT BECAUSE WE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE CENTER POINT INITIATIVE TO DO A RETROCOMMISSIONING.
SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS, UM, UH, A BUILDING PROFESSIONAL COMES IN, AUDITS THE BUILDING ON HOW IT'S PERFORMING.
THEY UNDERSTAND THEY'RE, THEY'RE MAINLY HVAC ENGINEERS, OKAY? AND THEY KNOW WHAT A, A BUILDING IS DOING RIGHT, AND WHAT IS DOING WRONG.
AND SO THEY PUT TOGETHER A REPORT, THEY DID A PRELIMINARY REPORT, AND THEN AFTER WE FIXED SOME THINGS, THEY DID A FINAL REPORT.
AND SO, LIKE NICHOLAS WAS SAYING, THE, UH, THE INVESTMENT THAT WE HAD TO MAKE OF 10 GRAND, I MEAN, WAS JUST THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTTA THIS UNIVERSE.
SO, UM, YOU CAN SEE ALL OF A SUDDEN, UM, UNDER THE IMPLEMENTATION PART, IT'S GOING DOWN LIKE A ROCK AND WE'RE PERFORMING AT EVEN A LOWER LEVEL THAN, UH, WHEN WE STARTED.
WHY IS THAT? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE JUST KEEP GETTING BETTER AT CONTROL SYSTEMS AND WHAT HAVE YOU.
AND, UM, WE PUT IN, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT BETTER BEST PRACTICES ON HOW TO MAINTAIN THE BUILDING.
AND THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW, IT'S PERFORMING, UH, WONDERFULLY.
SO WE WENT FROM BASICALLY, UM, THE, THE, THE MAIN POINT IS I WAS ON ENERGY STAR PORTFOLIO MANAGER IN 2016, AND IT WAS DESIGNED TO 95, PERFORMING AT A 41 50 IS THE MEDIAN.
THIS IS A LEAD CERTIFIED GOLD BUILDING.
WHAT IS IT DOING? SO I HAD THIS LIKE A HEART ATTACK, OKAY? AND SO THAT'S WHY I WENT AROUND
[00:40:01]
TRYING TO FIND, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW AM I GONNA DO THIS? AND SO CENTER POINT, YOU KNOW, SINCE I WAS FRIENDS WITH SOME CENTER POINT PEOPLE, HEY STEVE, YOU KNOW, WE GOT THIS.AND SO WE, I SHEPHERDED IT THROUGH, UH, OUR GENERAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND WE GOT THIS THING FIXED.
AND UH, NOW IT'S PERFORMING AT A 77, RIGHT? 75 IS YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR AN ENERGY STAR CERTIFICATE.
SO IT'S BACK TO KIND OF LIKE WHERE IT OUGHT TO BE.
AND TO BE HONEST, WE'RE EVEN MOVING FORWARD, UH, FROM THAT BECAUSE, UM, THE CITY HAS A CONTINUOUS COMMISSIONING PROJECT FOR THREE OF OUR BUILDINGS.
CITY HALL, CITY HALL ANNEX, AND THE PERMITTING CENTER.
UM, AND SO FOR INSTANCE, WE JUST DID AN LED LIGHTING RETROFIT SO THAT 77 IS GONNA EVEN GO UP, OKAY? BECAUSE TYPICALLY, UH, 20% OF A BUILDING'S ENERGY USE IS LIGHTING AND LED REPLACEMENT IS GONNA IMPROVE THAT BY A HUNDRED PERCENT.
SO ACTUALLY 10% OF OUR BUILDING ENERGY USAGE SHOULD GO DOWN JUST BECAUSE WE'RE GOING WITH LED LIGHTING.
SO I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT ENERGY STAR PORTFOLIO IS GONNA BE, A MANAGER IS GONNA BE TELLING ME IN JULY AND AUGUST, OKAY? I JUST, I REALLY CAN'T WAIT 'CAUSE THIS IS GONNA BE SPECTACULAR.
THE OTHER VERY COOL THING ABOUT ENERGY STAR PORTFOLIO MANAGERS UP ON THE TOP RIGHT, YOU SEE THE ENERGY STAR SCORE DOWN BELOW IT IS THE GHG EMISSIONS, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
SO AS WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH CARBON AND COUNTING, ENERGY STAR PORTFOLIO MANAGER HELPS YOU OUT WITH THAT.
AND IT'S REALLY EASY TO USE AND ANYBODY CAN DO IT.
WHAT'S DIFFICULT IS, I DUNNO IF YOU NOTICED FROM NICK'S PRESENTATION, WE'VE GOT 561 IN THERE AND WE'RE ON OUR WAY TO 1500.
SO THAT IS NOT YOUR AVERAGE PORTFOLIO, LET ME JUST TELL YOU.
SO IT'S GONNA TAKE SOMETHING TO GET THAT COORDINATED, RIGHT? AND THE GREAT THING ABOUT OUR POLICY, THE REASON WHY WE IMPLEMENTED IT WAS SO THAT WE CAN REPLICATE THOSE SUCCESS STORIES LIKE STEVE WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT AT ALL ACROSS ALL OF OUR BUILDINGS.
WHEREVER THE EFFICIENCY MIGHT BE, UH, WAITING TO BE, UH, GAINED, WE'RE GOING TO GO AND GET IT.
OH, QUESTIONS? YEAH, DO YOU MIND, UH, TELL EVERYBODY ENERGY STARS FOUR OF A HUNDRED IS GOOD, BAD, AND ONE IS GOOD BAD 100 IS GOOD.
THAT'S WHAT THIS BUILDING THAT YOU'RE IN RIGHT NOW IS AT A HUNDRED.
SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GETTING THAT.
QUESTION, UH, UH, FROM
ARE WE ACTUALLY THINKING THAT, BECAUSE YOU TALK ABOUT EXISTING BUILDINGS AND NEW BUILDINGS, IS YOUR FOCUS ACTUALLY ON EXISTING BUILDINGS? ARE YOU WANTING TO HELP ELEVATE THE FEARS OF THOSE WHO HAVE OLD BUILDINGS AND THINK THEY CANNOT GREEN THEM OR MODERNIZE THEM TO, UH, WHAT IS EXPECTED TODAY? UH, ARE THEY OKAY? ARE THEY GOING TO BE ALRIGHT IN THE MIX WITH, UH, THE SO-CALLED NEW BUILDINGS THAT ARE HAVING THIS GREEN BUILD, UH, PROPOSALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS? WELL, THE NEW BUILDINGS WITH THE CODE MODERNIZATION AND WITH THE, THE LEAD CERTIFICATION THAT WE REQUIRE FOR CITY BUILDINGS ARE GONNA BE DESIGNED TO PERFORM BETTER.
THEN ENERGY STAR PORTFOLIO MANAGER IS GONNA HELP US MANAGE THAT.
IT'S GONNA HELP US WATCH THAT.
WE'RE, WE'RE NOW, THE CITY IS NOW WITH THIS POLICY, NICK, CORRECT ME ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT WE'RE GONNA HOLD OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE THAT THAT HIGHER PERFORMING BUILDING IS GONNA PERFORM ACTUALLY HIGHER.
THE OTHER WONDERFUL THING ABOUT THIS TOOL IS IT ALSO MANAGES ENERGY USAGE FOR ANY OLD BUILDING.
WE'VE GOT BUILDINGS THAT WERE BUILT, YOU KNOW, AND THIS ONE IS BUILT IN 1922.
OKAY? SO WE'VE GOT BUILDINGS OF ALL AGES AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE HOW THEY'RE PERFORMING.
IT'S, IT'S OPERATIONAL IN, IN, IN EFFECT.
AND IF WE HAVE ANY THAT ARE JUST, WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS? WHY IS THIS RATING, WHY, WHY IS THIS SCORE SO
[00:45:01]
LOW? WE DO A RETROCOMMISSIONING, YOU KNOW, WE BRING IT IN, BRING IN AN EXPERT, AND THEY GO THROUGH THE HVAC SYSTEM AND THEY'LL GO, WELL, YOU KNOW, THIS THING CAN BE FIXED AND THIS CAN BE FIXED AND THIS CAN BE FIXED, AND ALL KINDS OF THINGS CAN BE FIXED.AND THEN THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, BURNING AS MUCH ENERGY FOR, FOR EITHER A NEW BUILDING OR AN OLD BUILDING.
DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? YES.
YES, NANCY, ABOUT THE SAKE ABOUT PRIVATELY OWNED BUILDINGS.
OH, PRIVATELY OWNED BUILDINGS.
NOW, YES, WE WANT EVERYONE IN THE CITY TO GET THEIR BUILDING ON ENERGY STAR PORTFOLIO MANAGER.
SO NICK TOLD ME A REALLY GREAT STORY ABOUT, UM, WHAT THE AMOUNT OF PUSHBACK THAT WE GOT FOR TRYING TO, UM, YOU KNOW, COME UP WITH AN ORDINANCE TO MAKE EVERYBODY DO THAT.
AND WHAT DID, WHAT DID THEY ALL PUSH BACK AND SAY, IT'S JUST NOT, NOT THE RIGHT TIME FOR THAT IN HOUSTON, LET'S SAY.
I MEAN, YOU, IF YOU GO TO NEW YORK, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE'S BEEN THERE RECENTLY, BUT EVERY BUILDING THERE HAS ALMOST LIKE YOUR FOOD RATING, HEALTH INSPECTION, THERE'S AN ENERGY EFFICIENCY RATING.
AND, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS SORT OF A, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD TRY TO DO HERE, BUT YOU KNOW, WE, THE CITY HAS DECIDED THAT WE NEED TO GET OUR OWN BUILDINGS UP TO PERFECT PERFORMANCE BEFORE WE CAN DO THAT KIND OF THING.
BUT SO, I MEAN, I I NOT, NOT NOT MAKING IT AS A CODE ENFORCEMENT, BUT AS A RECOMMENDATION, THERE ARE SOME HOMEOWNERS THAT WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT, BUT LIKE, THERE IS SO MUCH INFORMATION OUT THERE AND IT IS SO CONFUSING.
SO LIKE, IF I AS A HOMEOWNER WANT TO MAKE MY BUILDING BETTER, YOU KNOW, WHERE DO I START? OR ARE THERE LIKE, I MEAN, IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE RECOMMENDATION FOR THE CITIZENS KNOWING WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO, RIGHT? WELL, IF YOU HAVE A BUILDING, IF YOU'RE A BUILDING OWNER, YOU CAN START MOVING ON THAT.
AND IF YOU'RE JUST WORKING IN A BUILDING AND YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR BUILDING TO PERFORM BETTER, YOU'D HAVE TO GET WITH A BUILDING OWNER AND GO, HEY, WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS COULD SAVE YOU MONEY.
UM, I MEAN THE PERMITTING CENTER IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE.
UM, OTHER THAN IT'S A PRETTY BIG BUILDING, SO YOU'RE NOT GONNA SAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY ON A SMALL BUILDING, OKAY? BUT YOU CAN SAVE THAT KIND OF PERCENTAGE.
SO IT JUST BECOMES, UM, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
THERE'S ALL KINDS OF BUILDING PROFESSIONALS OUT THERE THAT CAN TAKE A LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, YOUR BUILDING AND CAN ASSIST A BUILDING OWNER WITH HOW THEY CAN GET THEIR BUILDING PERFORMANCE TO IMPROVE.
UM, I MEAN IT'S, IT, THIS IS SO MAINSTREAM, IT'S RIDICULOUS.
IT'S JUST THAT THERE'S THIS, THIS RETICENCE IN ORDER TO DO IT.
SO LIKE NICK WAS SAYING, WE'RE GETTING OUR HOUSE IN ORDER, WE'RE GONNA HAVE DATA AND WE'RE GONNA SHOW THE WORLD THAT HOUSTON, TEXAS CAN GET THEIR GAME ON AND USE LESS ENERGY.
UM, FROM A RESIDENTIAL END THOUGH, I MEAN, I LIVE IN A HUNDRED YEAR OLD HOME AND I KNOW Y'ALL ARE SAYING THAT EVEN JUST REGULAR HOMES, YOU CAN GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, BUT I REALLY THINK THE CITY SHOULD COME UP WITH A CHECKLIST FOR US NORMAL HOMEOWNERS TO SAY, THIS IS WHAT YOU DO, THIS IS WHO YOU REACH OUT TO PERVERT.
UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE NOT, I JUST THINK IT WOULD BE SO HELPFUL FOR US TO, THOSE OF US WHO ARE CONSCIENTIOUS WOULD BE INTERESTED TO SEE HOW BAD IS MY HOME OR HOW GOOD IS MY HOME? DO YOU AND I KNOW EACH OTHER,
GO TO CODE GREEN HOUSTON CODE BUILDING CODE GREEN HOUSTON.ORG.
LOOK FOR THE BUTTON THAT SAYS DIY HOME ENERGY AUDIT.
IT IS PERFECT FOR ANY HOMEOWNER.
I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS WAS, I DON'T KNOW HER, I DIDN'T ASK HER TO PLANT THIS
YEAH, BECAUSE I, I'VE NEVER HEARD THAT, SO MM-HMM
SO, UM, THIS AT ONE POINT HAD A, FOR, FOR NEW BUILDINGS THAT ACHIEVED A CERTAIN LEVEL OR
SO I'M WONDERING IF IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO DO SOME KIND OF TAX ABATEMENT FOR EXISTING BUILDINGS THAT PUBLICLY DISCLOSE THEIR BENCHMARK, EVEN IF IT'S JUST A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE, WHICH WOULD JUST BE TO EXPAND ON WHAT IS ALREADY OUT THERE.
WE'LL, I, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THAT RIGHT NOW, BUT, WE'LL, I MEAN, DEFINITELY TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION.
UH, I KNOW THAT WE DO ALL KINDS OF TAX ABATEMENTS FOR ALL SORT OF THINGS, AND A LOT OF THAT MIGHT DEPEND ON LEGISLATION AT THE STATE LEVEL, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT VERY WELL COULD ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO, UH, DO THIS KIND OF THING.
[00:50:01]
PHASE ONE, TWO BENCHMARKING, RETRO FOR, I DUNNO.UM, WHAT DOES PHASE THREE AND FOUR LOOK LIKE FOR IMPLEMENTATION FOR THE CITY? FOR BUILDING BENCHMARKING? NO, BE LIKE ONCE, ONCE YOU PASSED BENCHMARKING.
ONCE YOU PASS RETRO COMMISSIONING.
WHAT ABOUT LOOKING AT CAPITAL PLANNING OR RETROFITS? WHAT DOES THE KIND OF NEXT PHASE LOOK LOOK LIKE TO YOU? GO FOR IT.
WELL, YOU KNOW, GOING FORWARD AFTER WE, UM, BASICALLY BENCHMARK OUR BUILDINGS, THEN I THINK SHE, WHAT SHE'S ASKING, WHAT ARE WE DOING FOR THE, THE UNDER PERFORMERS, RIGHT? SO WE ARE GOING AFTER, UH, GRANTS AND, UH, INCENTIVES TO HELP PAY FOR ALL OF THE, YOU KNOW, MEASURES THAT, UH, WE COULD IMPLEMENT.
UM, AND FROM THERE, I MEAN, ONCE WE HIT OUR CARBON GOALS, THEN WE'RE, WE'RE JUST GONNA BE, UH, THAT WILL BE THE ACHIEVEMENT THAT WE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SEEKING FROM THE PLAN ITSELF.
SO GETTING TO A NEW STATUS QUO WHERE WE'RE, WHERE WE'RE NOT EMITTING TOO MUCH CARBON IS KIND OF WHERE WE WANNA BE.
AND THEN WE'LL JUST GO, THAT'LL BE THE NEW BUSINESS AS USUAL.
SO ON THAT NOTE, WE'RE AT TIME, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND, UH, OH, WE'LL GET FOR THE NEXT SESSION.