November Macon Section Meeting

Topic: How does the Passage of Senate Bill 130 Affect Your Profession?

On April 4, 2008 the Georgia General Assembly passed Senate Bill 130, which was signed by Governor Perdue on May 6, 2008. Section 4 of this bill is known as the Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Construction Act of 2008. This Act directs the Department of Community Affairs in consultation with the Georgia State Finance and Investment Commission to adopt policies and procedures as recommended standards for all buildings owned or managed by the state that:

1.     Optimize the energy performance;

2.     Increase the demand for construction materials and furnishings produced in Georgia;

3.     Improve the environmental quality in this state by decreasing the discharge of pollutants from such state buildings;

4.     Conserve energy and utilize local and renewable energy sources;

5.     Protect and restore this state's natural resources by avoiding the development of inappropriate building sites;

6.     Reduce the burden on municipal water supply and treatment by reducing potable water consumption;

7.     Establish life cycle assessments as the appropriate and most efficient analysis to determine a building project's environmental performance level; and

8.     Encourage obtaining Energy Star designation from the United States Environmental Protection Agency to further demonstrate a building project's energy independence.

This Act will also allow major facility projects to be up to 30 percent more efficient than the standards set forth in ASHRAE 90.1-2004 where such an increase is cost effective based on a life-cycle cost analysis. There is also a requirement for major facility projects to achieve a 15 percent reduction in water use when compared to water use based on plumbing fixture selection in accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 1992.   September 12, 2008 - Paul Kramer, BCAP.

Come to hear the details about this bill and how it affects you.