Good news for the Environment!

The President has signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act. Although I have already heard griping from some in the business community that this new law “really doesn’t do anything, because there are no tax breaks”, I think it is significant. (Tax breaks for developers are another topic for another day.)

Those of us in the roofing industry may have a greater influence in the reduction of energy use, and therefore greenhouse gas production, than is obvious.

Consider that 20 years from now, practically every building roof will be either new or recently replaced. That means that the current inventory of roofs will be totally replaced by 2030. For the designers, manufacturers, and installers of roof systems this presents a significant opportunity. We can build roof systems that are thermally efficient and high in reflectivity and emissivity. This can be done for very little, if any, added cost to the building owner. The benefits to the environment and the economy are substantial, especially when compared to the cost of replacing a roof.

The New York Times columnist, Tom Friedman would argue that reducing energy consumption is a matter of strategic importance for our country, as well. By reducing the amount of money flowing to oil-exporting countries, the cause of freedom and democracy is greatly enhanced. The rulers of oil-exporting countries are not always friendly and they can act with impunity simply because they have a great source of income – the United States!

However, we digress. Here is a press release from Architecture 2030:

After being passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Energy Independence and Security Act became law yesterday with the President's signature. Section 433 of this bill requires that all federal buildings meet the energy performance standards of The 2030 Challenge. The key passage in this section states that:

“buildings shall be designed so that the fossil fuel-generated energy consumption of the buildings is reduced, as compared with such energy consumption by a similar building in fiscal year 2003 (as measured by Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey or Residential Energy Consumption Survey data from the Energy Information Agency), by the percentage specified in the following table:

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Fiscal Year Percentage Reduction
2010: 55%
2015: 65%
2020: 80%
2025: 90%
2030: 100%
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This applies to Federal buildings. Consider, however, that the Federal government is the biggest "landlord" in the country, if not the world. This is definitely a step in the right direction.