Newsbriefs

For the first time ever,

net imports of petroleum into the United States have exceeded 50% in a single year. According to the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy, net petroleum imports by the U.S. in 1998 averaged 50.6%, up from the previous record of 49.9% in 1997 and significantly higher than the 1977 figure of 46.5%, which stood as the record until 1996. These are

net import figures that account for the relatively small amount of petroleum the U.S. exports. While net imports are at a record level, we still aren’t as dependent on petroleum from the Persian Gulf as in the past: only 20.2% of total imports in 1998, compared with a high of 27.8% in 1977. Our largest sources of imported oil in December 1998 were Venezuela, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico, accounting for about 60%.

The

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has created a new Subcommittee on Sustainability within Committee E-6 on Performance of Buildings. Goals of the new subcommittee E06-71 are to stimulate knowledge, research, and standards on the environmental performance and sustainability of individual buildings or systems, building materials, or components. Priorities include writing a standard on green building assessment and terminology, and another on sustainability indicators for the built environment. Committee E-6 will meet April 18-21 in Seattle. Contact Subcommittee Chair Dru Meadows, theGreenTeam, Inc., 1504 S. Norfolk Ave., Tulsa, OK 74120; 918/599-0011; dmeadows@busprod.com.

Newsbriefs

The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE) is soliciting comments on six Independent Substantive Changes to its

Standard 90.1-1989R: “Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings.” The most extensive sections being modified are those on building envelope and HVAC measures, others include lighting, power, format and compliance, and the energy cost budget method of compliance. The deadline for comments on the proposed changes to this influential standard is March 9, 1999. The change documents are available from ASHRAE at 404/636-8400, or the Internet (DOS/Windows format only) at www.ashrae.org.

On another front, ASHRAE is also proposing a new

Standard, 62.2P, on “Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings.” A public review period for this new standard is to be announced later this Spring.

Newsbriefs

Maureen McIntyre, longtime editor of the acclaimed

Solar Today magazine (the publication of the

American Solar Energy Society—ASES), has been hired by the Society to organize renewable energy policy activities at the state level. As coordinator of ASES’s “Empowering the States” program, McIntyre will help renewable energy advocates influence state energy policy and promote the use of solar energy. For more information, contact ASES at 303/443-3130 or on-line (www.ases.org/solar).

The

Rocky Mountain Institute is seeking a consultant to join its influential Green Development Services research group. The position requires extensive client interaction, management of multiple projects, and travel. Contact Jen Uncapher at 970/927-3807 or jenu@rmi.org for details.

The

American Institute of Architects New York Chapter’s Committee on the Environment has organized a panel discussion at which the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority will address their role in administering up to $6 million per year in grants for design professionals and building owners. Set for 8:00 a.m. on December 10 at 200 Lexington Avenue (6th floor), the meeting is $20 for the general public and $10 for members of the AIA or other sponsoring organizations: the U.S. Green Building Council and Architects, Designers and Planners for Social Responsibility.

Architect and specifier

Dru Meadows has left her position as leader of the Green Team at BSW Architects. In that capacity she worked on the design of several high-profile eco-stores for Wal-Mart. Meadows has also been a leader in efforts to have green building practices recognized appropriately by standards organizations such as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). She is now cofounding partner of a new firm,

theGreenTeam, Inc., headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In recognition of the large energy penalty associated with leaky ducts, the

California Energy Commission (CEC) has voted to provide a credit for high-quality ducts in the State’s residential energy code. To qualify for the credit, the home’s duct system must be certified by the installer, and the builder must have an independent party test 15% of the homes in each tract. The test using duct-pressurization equipment must result in leakage of no more than 6%. The code revision incorporating this credit is expected to take effect in May 1999.

Newsbriefs

As noted in

EBN

Vol. 6, No. 9 (October 1997), the

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is now updating its indoor air quality Standard 62-1989 incrementally in a “continuous maintenance process.” The first significant changes are open for public review from November 15 until January 14, 1999. They address five topics: natural ventilation; design of smoking-permitted areas; applicability of the standard; the performance-based IAQ management procedure; and when the performance-based procedure, as opposed to the prescriptive procedure, can be used. The proposed addenda are available on the ASHRAE Web site (www.ashrae.org) or may be ordered for $8 through ASHRAE Customer Service: 404/636-8400.

The

Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota is considering affiliation with

Habitat for Humanity to develop affordable housing on the reservation. The problem, according to Marty Kooistra of Habitat, is that while a typical Habitat house ends up costing $41,000 to $45,000, the realistic cost ceiling on the Rosebud Reservation is about $20,000. The Rosebud Reservation and Habitat are trying to determine whether a $20,000 home is a possibility. Building materials available on the Reservation include timbers (dimension lumber with enough notice), baled straw, and soil for rammed earth. Maximum size for Habitat houses ranges from 900 square feet (85 m²) for a two-bedroom house to 1,150 square feet (110 m²) for a four-bedroom house. Designers or builders with ideas for this project may contact Lynn Marsh, a VISTA Volunteer at the Reservation, 605/856-2665, or Marty Kooistra, senior affiliate support manager with Habitat in South Dakota, 605/339-2245.