Energy Charette

A charette is an intense period of planning or design effort. Don’t let the obscure vocabulary scare you off. It really just means a collaborative design process. A group brainstorming session. A time when all parties can come together to discuss big-picture goals, design criteria, and other critical aspects of the process. I remember brainstorming and collaborating with team members and professors at the beginning of my major college projects. It was essential to outline our approach, challenges to be aware of, priorities, and available resources. But too often, this collaboration does not happen on construction projects.

An Energy Charette is a collaboration effort specifically focused on energy use (and how to reduce it) in a project. The parties involved will have the opportunity to explore a variety of questions. What is the best way to heat this building? What type of insulation should be used? How can we bring more daylight into this building? How can we reduce water use? Should we use a building management system (BMS)? What rebates or incentives can we get?

During our recent design effort for the new Boys and Girls Club facility being built in Pennacook, we participated in an energy charette led by Resilient Buildings Group (RBG). This type of charette is often funded by local utilities trying to encourage more energy-efficient buildings. The charette was an opportunity for all the parties involved to understand all the options on the table, specifically focused on energy use. Resilient Buildings Groups is incredibly knowledgeable of the financial incentives available related to energy efficiency. There are incentives from utilities, federal government, and local governments of various types and sizes. And there are multiple requirements to be eligible for each incentive. For example, achieving a certain efficiency rating for HVAC equipment may qualify for a partial refund on the cost of the equipment. There are other “pathways,” such as creating an energy model of the proposed building to demonstrate lower anticipated energy usage when compared to the average for a particular building type (i.e.: school building, office building, etc.). It can get complex. The takeaway is that there is money for almost all construction projects and several ways to get it.

Most owners care about how much their construction project is going to cost. As such, many are hesitant of “high-end” or complex building elements, such as high-efficiency equipment, complex HVAC systems, solar panels, or “extra” insulation; all are often considered expensive elements. However, when combined with financial incentives, these elements may cost the same or less than traditional or “budget” equipment. Discussing this exact topic was a major part of the Boys and Girls Club project charette. Ultimately, we want everyone involved in our design projects to be as informed as possible. When these parties can come together early in the design process, we can understand the goal, the possibilities, and the restrictions. We can design buildings that consume less energy without increasing construction costs.