Monthly Archives: January 2021

USEPA Announces 2020 ENERGY STAR Top Cities

The USEPA recently unveiled its annual ENERGY STAR Top Cities list of 2020, showing which US metro areas earned the most ENERGY STAR-certified buildings in 2019. They ranked the Top 25 Cities overall, the Top 10 Mid-Size Cities, and the Top 10 Small Cities. See: https://www.energystar.gov/buildings/topcities

In 2019, the USEPA updated its ENERGY STAR scoring models to make them more stringent, partially as they reflected the improved energy performance of the overall US commercial buildings. ENERGY STAR scores are based on a 0 to 100 median system. Despite the more stringent criteria, over 5,600 buildings earned ENERGY STAR certification. According to the USEPA, they saved over $1.4 billion in energy costs and prevented the emissions of nearly 5 million metric tons of greenhouse gases. The tough standards caused a number of previously ENERGY STAR-certified buildings to drop out of ENERGY STAR status, as many dropped below the criteria of 75. The USEPA noted that many such buildings went on to incorporate upgrades to enable them to go back over 75 again and bring back their ENERGY STAR status.

Los Angeles earned 1st place with 546 ENERGY STAR-certified buildings. Washington, D.C. finished in 2nd place; San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, and New York came in 3rd through 7th place this year, the latter with 200 ENERGY STAR-certified buildings in 2019.

Among mid-sized US cities, the top 5 ENERGY STAR metropolitan cities were San Jose, CA, Provo, UT, Des Moines, IA, Raleigh, NC, and Louisville, KY with 274 ENERGY STAR-certified buildings between them. The top small US city was Jackson, MI, with 50 ENERGY STAR-certified buildings by itself, 1 building for every 670 people. These buildings saved their owners over $1.1 million in energy costs.

In total, nationally, since 1999, over 36,000 buildings have earned ENERGY STAR certification. Their energy upgrade projects implemented to earn the award has brought their owners significant, continual energy costs savings for many years.

CCES has the experts to assess whether your building may already merit the ENERGY STAR award. If it does not meet the criteria, we can recommend strategies to be more energy efficient and earn the award, what each strategy costs, and what the cost savings will be. Contact us today at karell@CCESworld.com or at 914-584-6720.

6 Skills To Get Your Ideas Implemented in 2021

You are probably a smart person and perhaps head up a group or department and have put together a program to advance the group or your company in 2021, based on that knowledge of yours. But getting the program actually implemented may take a different set of skills from what you learned in school. However, much of your experience can be adapted to enable you to do better in these “soft” skills. Developing these skills and using them to get your ideas implemented may well dictate how 2021 goes for you.

1. Think Outside the Box, suggesting novel ways to implement a project, is sometimes scary to the environmental or energy professional. But this can be achieved by really understanding the concepts you wish to implement and seeking alternative ways to meet the goals. What do other businesses or industries do in similar situations? Don’t be afraid to share your thoughts with others who you believe think creatively and work with their ideas to see if it can work to meet your final goals.

2. Persuasion. It is normal that any idea – novel or conventional – will have naysayers worried about its effects. Convincing them to go along (or at least not oppose) a project is part of implementing an idea. While there is no successful standard method, studies show that demonstrating reciprocity and consensus are most successful. Put another way: people do not like to be sold on something, but they do like to buy.

3. Honest Communication. It is critical to communicate your idea to all those that may be impacted by it and honestly show the benefits for the individuals involved and the company as a whole, as well as the “warts”, some of the growing pains in implementing the idea and the risk of downside or failure. Glossing over the negative will not only raise suspicion of others about your idea and cause you to lose future credibility.

4. Communicate by Story. Not only is it important to communicate and do so honestly, but also how one gets a point across most effectively. Studies show that story telling is a powerful way to communicate and motivate your stakeholders. Instead of saying: “This is where we are in the project today. Last week we did this….”, try to describe the process with stories about how the equipment was purchased, how the contractors did their work, why the project will be successful, what the benefits will be, etc. You still are communicating the timeline; yet you are doing so in an engaging way that will get the audience involved and root for a positive outcome.

5. Ability to Adapt; Resilience. Perhaps the greatest constant in the future is change. Your ideas developed in 2020, accepted for incorporation in 2021 may have to change due to many factors (the pandemic, the election, the economy, etc.). You need to be able to anticipate changes – even from month to month – and be resilient to modify your idea or its implementation so that it seamlessly works and still benefits all.

6. Passion vs. The Steady Hand. It is important that you be a passionate advocate for your idea, demonstrating your belief that it will benefit your company or people. If YOU don’t have the passion, how can you expect others to? On the other hand, it is critical to show a steady hand, that this idea was well thought out, negative outcomes anticipated, risks lowered, and potential benefits maximized. You need to anticipate and address change, risks, and time snags so as to constructively move forward on your idea.

These 6 items are not easy to master. However, improving in these areas will make it easier to implement your idea and further your ideas in the future and bode well for your and your firm’s future.

CCES has the experts to help you implement many good energy and environmental projects. Besides the technical expertise, our experience in project management allows projects to be implemented smoothly with proper communication among all stakeholders. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

IRS Section 179D Tax Deduction For Energy Upgrades Made Permanent

It took some time, but Congress finally passed and the President signed into law the permanent extension of IRS Code Section 179D as part of the recent COVID relief bill. Owners of commercial buildings can again and permanently receive federal tax deductions for approved, successful energy upgrades. See: https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:26%20section:179D%20edition:prelim)

Section 179D first went into being in 2006, offering federal tax deductions for commercial building owners who implement upgrades of interior lighting, building envelope, and/or HVAC systems, at a rate of $1.80 per square foot (sf) for all three or $0.60 per sf for any one of these. The code lapsed at certain points and Congress was slow to reauthorize it several times, resulting in gap years during which such deductions were unavailable and general confusion about its effectiveness. In recent years, this federal tax deduction for energy upgrades was not in effect.

However, effective now the $1.80 per sf tax deduction for energy upgrades is permanent, will not need to be reauthorized, and will grow each year by the inflation rate. This tax deduction is available to owners of existing commercial buildings who upgrade the interior lighting, building envelope, or HVAC systems that reduce the building’s total energy and power cost by 50% or more in comparison to the minimum requirements set by ASHRAE 90.1-2001 (for buildings and systems placed in service before January 1, 2016) or 90.1-2007 (for such buildings and systems after that date). Energy savings must be modeled and calculated using approved software. See: https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/qualified-software-calculating-commercial-building-tax-deductions Federal tax deductions of up to $0.60 per sf are available to building owners which meet the criteria for any one of these three areas. And this tax deduction is retroactive to upgrades that occurred before the 179D was reauthorized.

In addition, the ASHRAE standard for which a reduction will be compared will change. A project will be compared to the ASHRAE standard that was in existence 2 years prior to the start of construction.

For more information on Section 179D and any potential tax deduction, speak to your tax professional. CCES has the experts to perform the technical elements of an energy upgrade that may be eligible for the Section 179D tax deductions. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

New Year’s Resolutions at Work

It’s a new year, which means new beginnings, change, and resolutions. In the past, I have written about how to include energy efficiency and clean energy in your company’s resolutions, but in this article I will discuss New Year resolutions for you personally to progress in your career, for your company, particularly in these challenging times.

For this I have gotten help from Mr. Kevin Perlumutter of Limbic Brand Evolution (www.limbicbrandevolution.com). Kevin has spent his career researching and helping people put into practice habits that will progressively evolve one’s career or business. It seems counterintuitive, but while we are all smart, professional people, most decisions we and others make are not based on common sense and intellectual analysis, but, instead, on emotional motivation. Harnessing your actions to stir your own and other’s emotions can inspire and lead to progress for your business and your career.

Kevin describes 5 “Dream Job” principles, which will help you be more productive for your company and progress personally.

1. Be Courageous – Change is not easy, and courage is not about taking the easy path forward…

2. Seek Inspiration – Surround yourself with talented people who push you to challenge yourself…

3. Be a Specialist – Create a role or position yourself in a way that enables you to make big contributions in areas where your unique skills are considered valuable – to your clients as well as to the evolution and growth of your company…

4. Make it Meaningful – Seek opportunities that have real meaning and impact…

5. Stay Authentic – Nothing is more important than knowing who you are and being patient enough to find the right fit…

For more information, read: https://www.limbicbrandevolution.com/views-blog/how-to-design-your-dream-job-kevin-perlmutter

Here are examples of living these principles as, personally, I can say that I try to follow them. Certainly, the energy and environmental fields change often, whether due to new regulations or policies or technologies, and one must be open to re-learn and pivot to benefit clientele. I surround myself with great colleagues in a back-and-forth relationship. I learn and am challenged by them and, hopefully, I do the same for them. I believe I know what I’m good at and what I’m not good at. A number of times clients have asked me to do work in areas I’m weak in. I always say no, even at the risk of losing the whole project. I want to know inside of me that I am providing the best service I can, doing the work I know well, and will deliver – and not worry I may come up short and disappoint. I always dig to stay focused on what my clients express that they need, whether it be compliance with a regulation, energy savings, greenhouse gas reductions, reduced air toxic emissions, or something else. While I often try to show a client that a project has additional benefits beyond the immediate needs, I always focus on ensuring the main, meaningful goals of the client are met and communicated. Finally, I am very honest with clients and focus in on their needs. If the client wants to become “friends”, great. But the main thing is to focus on the needs of the client and be a problem solver.

CCES can help your firm solve its problems when it comes to energy or environmental matters, whether it be technical regulatory compliance, reducing energy or O&M costs, being a better environmental steward, or any other such problem. We are small and motivated and laser-focused to help your specific needs. Contact us today with any questions at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.