Building Green

March 19, 2009 by Dan Gibson · 3 Comments
Filed under: Natural Gas, environment

There was a great article titled Building Green in the March 2009 issue of American Gas Magazine that focuses on “green” buildings and the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program for new construction.

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in Washington, D.C., the LEED green building certification program awards points in five areas: building site, water efficiency, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and energy use. The final point total, based upon written documentation submitted after construction or renovation concludes, determines the building’s level of LEED certification as Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum.

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Dominion Resources’ new administration building for its Cove Point liquefied natural gas facility is situated on Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay. The use of drought-resistant landscaping, a highly reflective roof, insulated glass and other features helped the building earn LEED Silver certification. Photo courtesy of Dominion Resources.

The article also does a excellent job of examining the construction of an administration building at Dominion’s Cove Point facility. Some of the highlights from that construction include:

Purchasing about 25 percent of construction materials—including bricks, windows and cement—from local producers, thus reducing the amount of energy used for transportation.
Recycling approximately 85 percent of construction waste rather than sending it to a landfill.
Installing downward-focused outdoor lighting to prevent “light pollution” that disturbs nocturnal animals.
Using a highly reflective roof, highly insulated walls and insulated glass in windows and doors to reduce heat and cooling loss.
Installing plumbing fixtures that use 40 percent less water than their standard counterparts.
Encouraging employees to commute by bike (by offering on-site showers) or car pool (by reserving prime parking spaces for registered car and van pools).

Those are some great examples of how business can have a considerable positive impact on the environment with some planning and dedication. You can download this pdf to read the entire article and visit aga.org for more articles from American Gas Magazine.

Green building is a hot topic as people are more and more concerned with our environment. Check out this useful presentation on the benefits of natural gas in new construction. AGA also has a section on natural gas efficiency. 90% of the energy content of natural gas is delivered to customers as a useful fuel. 90% … that’s huge.

Does anyone have some good links or stories about green construction to share?

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Tags: american gas magazine, green

Actually, it is easy being green…if you are the right fuel

January 1, 2009 by Bruce Kauffmann · Comments Off
Filed under: energy

Natural gas is by far the cleanest burning of the fossil fuels. It emits approximately 40 percent less carbon dioxide (CO2) than coal and about 30 percent less CO2 than oil. Carbon dioxide, of course, is one of the primary greenhouse gas emissions, so regardless of whether you are a global warming believer, denier or agnostic, you will probably agree the less CO2 we put into the atmosphere the better.

This is why natural gas is destined to play such an important role in combating climate change. The more homes and business that use natural gas for home heating, water heating or cooking, the less CO2 that goes into the air, especially if homes and businesses switch from oil heat to gas heat. It is a cleaner and therefore greener way to stay warm.

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It can also be a cleaner and greener way to travel. Although the current market for natural gas vehicles (NGVs) is small – due in great part to a lack of a refueling infrastructure – in fleet vehicles such as delivery trucks and vans, which have proscribed routes and come back to the same refueling station at the end of every day, the market is promising, and the environmental advantages are undeniable. This is one reason oilman T. Boone Pickens wants more natural gas vehicles on the road. Another reason is that natural gas is domestically abundant – some 90 percent of the natural gas we use in American comes from North America. The more NGVs there are on the road displacing gasoline-powered cars, the fewer the dollars that go to often unfriendly oil-producing nations.

It’s true that renewable energy such as solar and wind power are greener than natural gas, but it is just as true that their ability to meet America’s growing need for energy remains limited. Currently renewables meet about 2 percent of our energy needs. So until that day comes when they can shoulder a larger share – and we in the natural gas industry look forward to that day – natural gas will remain the clean, green fuel. It’s as simple, and easy, as that.

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