EVENTS CALENDAR
Real World Pathways to Net Zero (Ready): Low Carbon Leaders Roundtable
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Retrofitting existing buildings to “net zero ready” is key to meeting climate and resilience targets, but how will we get from here to there?
Developed in collaboration with US DOE and NREL, LABBC’s Low Carbon Leaders initiative provides a platform to help LABBC’s most ambitious Partners develop real-world strategies to decarbonize existing assets. As the two-year program comes to a close for the first cohort of participants, they’re ready to share key insights—and questions—uncovered through the process.
Join LABBC Executive Director David Hodgins in conversation with representatives from Douglas Emmett and Paramount Pictures where they will discuss:
Lessons learned
Challenges
Opportunities
And what’s next
Key Takeaways
Efficiency first. Energy efficiency is the foundation for a cost-effective net zero transition.
All options on the table. When everything is on the table, you may be surprised by what is possible (and what is not).
Your project matters. The City of LA and LADWP value real world projects to inform policy and programs, and LABBC can help! Reach out today.
Decarb is Going on Sale: Demystifying IRA Tax Incentives for Building Owners
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The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) is the most significant climate legislation in U.S. history. But what does this mean to building owners? As one White House expert recently put it, “decarbonization is going on sale.”
Two-thirds of IRA funding will take the form of tax credits, which are being enhanced to benefit more organizations, including nonprofits and even local governments. In addition, the EPAct 179D tax deduction has been made permanent, and its value has more than doubled from $1.80 per square foot to $5.
LABBC’s David Hodgins spoke with federal tax law expert Gabrielle Jacques of Norton Rose Fulbright and energy efficiency expert Rich Maiolo of Capital Review Group about:
Recent changes to federal tax incentives under IRA;
How to access these incentives; and
Case studies on real-world projects
Key Takeaways
Opportunity everywhere. Tax incentives are available regardless of location. Bonuses, or “adders,” are more limited by geography.
More money for more entities. With direct pay, public and tax-exempt entities can now benefit.
EBEWE audits can tee up tax incentives. Ask your ARCx provider about factoring in EPAct 179D and other tax incentives that can enhance the ROI of potential upgrades.
Water Efficiency in Multifamily: Leak Detection Strategies & Tech
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Leak detection in multifamily properties can be the largest and quickest opportunity for utility savings. Simple and discrete leak detection technologies can effectively lower overall water use and substantially improve a building’s performance.
Join LABBC’s Maureen Erbeznik in conversation with Cora Snyder of Pacific Institute, Gary Tilkian of Metropolitan Water District and Terrence McCarthy of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for a roundtable discussion on:
California’s current water supply
Pending state legislation and available water incentives
New leak detection and management technologies
Leak detection case studies
Water efficiency opportunities for multifamily housing
Key Takeaways
The Best Place to Start. Find out who your water retail agency is and connect with the water conservation coordinator.
Get Ahead of Policy While Incentives are Available. Several water reduction measures are likely to be mandated in the future and there are incentives available now.
Innovative Water Saving Technologies Work. Today’s leak detection strategies can be implemented quickly and at a low cost. Many are also covered by LADWP and MWD incentive programs.
Building Momentum: LA Energy Policy & Incentives
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Although programs to encourage energy efficiency upgrades to existing buildings have operated for decades, at current rates it will take more than 60 years to complete whole-building retrofits on all commercial buildings—and 500 years to complete on homes and apartments.
New and more aggressive approaches are needed, but what should those look like—and where do you fit in?
Join LABBC’s David Hodgins in conversation with Marta Segura, LA’s “Chief Heat Officer,” and David Jacot, Director of Efficiency Solutions for LADWP, to explore questions like:
How is LA approaching this from a policy perspective?
How is LADWP supporting building electrification?
Where should customers focus today?
Key Takeaways
EBEWE deadlines are active. The deadline for all covered buildings to submit benchmarking reports is June 1, 2023. A/RCx deadlines are Sept. 7, 2023, for buildings with LADBS IDs ending in 0, 1, 2 or 3, and Dec. 1, 2023, for those ending in 4 or 5.
Transition, not a rupture. The City of LA is thoughtfully phasing in new policies as it moves toward a performance standard for existing buildings and wants input from building owners. Connect with CEMO to co-develop solutions to the issues preventing decarbonization.
Pilots to programs. LADWP is developing new incentives to encourage decarbonization and resilience. Real world commercial projects will generate the information LADWP needs—contact LABBC to discuss your plans and get engaged.
A Pivotal Year Ahead: Policy Developments, Private Sector Leadership & Ways to Get Involved
Three years into the “decade of action,” the urgent work of decarbonization is gaining clear momentum. Join LABBC Executive Director David Hodgins for a look at what’s ahead for the year.
Net Zero Planning in Action: Low Carbon Leaders Roundtable
Developed in collaboration with US DOE and NREL, LABBC’s Low Carbon Leaders initiative provides a platform for LABBC’s most ambitious Partners to develop replicable forward-looking strategies to decarbonize existing assets. A year in, our first cohort of Low Carbon Leaders are well underway developing asset-level action plans to achieve net zero by 2050.
Shrinking the Technology Universe: LABBC’s Building Technology Directory
With the rapid pace of technological innovation, the real estate industry is inundated with products that promise to cut, manage and optimize utility consumption. But what’s real?
To help address that issue, LABBC is proud to introduce our building technology directory, a curated, searchable and actionable directory of the latest in emerging and market-ready building efficiency solutions.
Join LABBC Executive Director David Hodgins in conversation with partners from the GSA's Green Proving Ground, venture capital firm Fifth Wall and USGBC-LA's Net Zero Accelerator to learn how you can leverage the directory to accelerate your organization’s decarbonization and water conservation work.
Benchmarking & Affordable Multifamily Resources
Housing is essential to the health and resilience of our communities and there is an inextricable link between affordability and decarbonization. The owners and operators of our City’s affordable housing stock have limited capital and operational resources to access more efficient equipment, and diligently work towards quality-of-life improvements for their tenants without incurring additional financial burdens.
The Comprehensive Affordable Multifamily Housing Retrofit program seeks to pair affordable housing with decarbonization and local economic development through prevailing wage requirements. Among other affordability requirements, participating buildings have to comply with The Existing Building Energy and Water Efficiency (EBEWE) program.
Join LABBC’s Renee Daigneault in conversation with Angel Rodrigues of CHPC and Jake Tisinger of AEA for a discussion about:
-CAMR Requirements and application process
-Benchmarking and EBEWE Compliance 101
-Decarbonization resources to help you navigate the intake process
-Upcoming CAMR Virtual Workshops
Drought Mitigation: Solutions for LA’s Commercial Buildings
Drought is not a new issue for Southern California, but this time is different. Water officials say that the last three years have been the driest on record and this January through March has been the driest winter ever.
LABBC’s water technical advisor Maureen Erbeznik will lead our guests from Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) and the Pacific Institute through a roundtable discussion focusing on the importance of our current water crisis, unprecedented state and local measures, and how you can build a resilient water efficiency strategy.
Decarbonize Bunker Hill
Decarbonizing existing buildings presents a range of challenges, but Los Angeles has no shortage of creativity and innovation. As part of the ULI Greenprint’s Global Net Zero Imperative, LABBC partnered with ULI Los Angeles to convene a group of experts to assess the potential of distributed district energy as a strategy to decarbonize Downtown Los Angeles, starting with the cultural and commercial heart of DTLA, Bunker Hill.
Dynamic Load Management
Demand management and load shifting will be critical to realizing LADWP’s goal to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2035.
LADWP has doubled participation targets for its Demand Response Program this season, providing meaningful financial incentives for buildings to shed loads during periods of high demand.
By combining demand response with retro-commissioning incentives, buildings can derive multiple benefits with minimal, if any, capital outlay.
Science-Based Targets & Climate Risk Evaluation
The need for climate action is clear, but the way forward is not.
Where should investments be focused? How do we measure emissions reductions in a way that satisfies the scientific community, investors and the public?
Developing LA’s Building Decarbonization Policy: Bridging Environmental, Equity and Economic Imperatives
Los Angeles is—and always has been—a leader in green buildings, thanks in no small part to LABBC partners. The city cemented its place at the top with the introduction of its Existing Buildings Energy and Water Efficiency ordinance in 2016, the most comprehensive and forward-thinking policy in the nation.
Now, with the support of a broad coalition of local environmental and social justice partners, labor groups and industry leaders, Los Angeles is taking things to the next level.
Join LABBC Executive Director David Hodgins for a discussion with City of Los Angeles Climate Advisor Megan Ross and Urban Land Institute’s Marta Shantz.
The Year Ahead: Recommitting to our Community
Los Angeles—and the world—made great strides toward decarbonization in 2021.
In LA, LADWP unveiled LA100, a groundbreaking 100% renewable energy study; the city council kicked off development of a building decarbonization policy; and LABBC partners continued to raise the bar with new commitments to net zero carbon.
In Glasgow, COP26 cemented meaningful commitments to curb emissions, while calling on countries to “revisit and strengthen” their 2030 targets by the end of 2022 to align with the Paris Agreement.
As we step into 2022, it’s important to recognize not only how far we have come, but how much further we have yet to go. It’s time to recommit to making our buildings better and our communities healthier, more resilient, more equitable and more prosperous.
Join LABBC Executive Director David Hodgins alongside Urban Land Institute’s Los Angeles Executive Director Marty Borko for a look at what’s ahead for the year.
Conserving a Critical Resource: Water Efficiency in Cooling Tower Systems
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Water is our most precious resource. To ensure Los Angeles remains environmentally healthy and economically prosperous, we need to reduce our reliance on imported water. Saving water not only saves energy and money, it saves lives.
In the built environment, cooling towers are a cost-effective place to start. Industry experts estimate that cooling towers can account for 40% of a building’s water demand, and in some buildings, that number may be far more.
Join LABBC’s expert water advisor Maureen Erbeznik in conversation with industry innovators Ben Slick of Hydropoint, Michael Boyko and Janco Vermeulen of Dynamic Water Technologies, and Sean Collins of Cedars-Sinai for a discussion about:
Opportunities cooling towers offer
Innovations in water management and efficiency
Real-world implementation and return on investment
Key Takeaways
We live in a desert: We need to be proactive to address drought conditions while water and sewer costs are still incredibly low.
Water conservation is a way of life: Incremental improvements to the way people think about and act on water efficiency can save millions of gallons of water.
Saving water can be easy and worthwhile: Proven water technologies can both save you money and conserve water for a true win-win.
The Energy Future is Smart: Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings
To reach our 100% clean energy targets, we must remake our buildings into a flexible energy resource.
Grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEBs) combine energy efficiency and demand flexibility with smart technologies and communications to deliver greater affordability, comfort, productivity and high performance to our homes and commercial buildings.
The U.S. Department of Energy recently released a “National Roadmap” for GEBs, but where does the rubber meet the road?
Join us in conversation with roadmap authors Andrew Satchwell and Ryan Hledik, alongside Kevin Powell, program director for the GSA’s Green Proving Ground, for a wide-ranging discussion.
Threading the Needle: Capturing the Value of Efficiency & Resilience in the Due Diligence & Appraisal Processes
How can commercial real estate investors get the data they need to execute on ESG priorities without bogging down negotiations in today’s hyper-competitive market?
Join us for a conversation with leading due diligence firm Marx Okubo and nationally recognized valuation expert Theddi W. Chappel of Sustainable Values to discuss key issues, trends and emerging tactics in this critical area.
Demonstrating Real World Pathways to Zero: A Roundtable Discussion with L.A.’s Low Carbon Leaders
Join LABBC Executive Director David Hodgins and Director of Outreach & Engagement Alek Diachenko in conversation with the enrolled participants of the LABBC Low Carbon Leaders pilot program.
Future-Proofing Real Assets: A Conversation on the Convergence of Efficiency & Resilience in the Built Environment
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The language of ESG is evolving.
The United Nations defines sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
According to GRESB, the world’s leading sustainability reporting framework for real estate, resilience is “the capacity of companies and funds to survive and thrive in the face of social and environmental shocks and stressors.”
Once seen as separate but related concepts, sustainability and resiliency are converging, and Los Angeles is the epicenter.
Join us for a conversation between LABBC Executive Director David Hodgins and some of the industry’s leading voices on sustainability, resilience and real estate to explore how these once-abstract concepts are now coming together to influence real-world strategies.
Key Takeaways
Sustainability Isn't "All or Nothing": Shifting to a more resilient model doesn't need to mean high cost; ease in with small, but important, cost-efficient steps.
Join GRESB: GRESB validates, scores, and benchmarks ESG performance data, providing business intelligence to investors and managers.
Set Science-Based Targets: Learn how much and how quickly your company needs to reduce emissions to prevent the worst effects of climate change.
Get involved with the LABBC: Gain market visibility, regulatory compliance support, networking and education opportunities, and advisory services at no cost to you.
Low Carbon Leaders Pilot Program: Demonstrating Ways to Zero
The LABBC is preparing to launch a new Pilot Program called Low Carbon Leaders, where LABBC Partners will have the opportunity to collaborate with leading building scientists from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Department of Energy, and local experts to develop new pathways to zero by 2050.
2021: Beginning the Decade of Action
To kick off what promises to be a bright year for sustainability, take a look ahead at what the Los Angeles Better Buildings Challenge has in store for partners in 2021, including a preview of our 7th Annual Innovation Awards, our Technology Showcase, a new and exciting zero-net-carbon pilot program sponsored by the Department of Energy and more.
The Role of Energy Efficiency in Decarbonizing Buildings
Join us to learn how energy efficiency can help us cost-effectively optimize existing infrastructure and support decarbonize of our electricity supply.
BOMA W2 Challenge Case Studies
The W2 Challenge is BOMA International’s ground-breaking two-year initiative to support the commercial real estate sector in benchmarking water and waste consumption and improving performance.
The Importance of Resilience in a Changing Global Environment
Join GRESB Head of Americas Dan Winters, and Verdani Partners Founder and President Daniele Horton to learn the role of resilience in creating a sustainable built environment, and strategies to manage risks and take advantage of opportunities that future change will bring.
Innovation Awards Webinar
Your team works hard to save energy and water. The City’s most prestigious sustainability award, the LABBC Innovation Awards, recognize property owners and managers - like you - who have achieved exceptional energy and/or water performance over time. LABBC Executive Director David Hodgins provides an overview of the submission process, how the Finalists are selected, and more.
Drinking Water Should be for Drinking: Saving 20% Water in Your Building
Reducing your buildings’ water use by 20% might sound like a lofty goal, but employing the right strategies will lighten your load and make the savings worth your while.
Laying the Groundwork: Fundamentals of a Successful Energy & Water Strategy
A successful energy and water strategy depends on a few basic fundamentals – strategic fit, clear contracts, and good data. If any one of these factors is missing, good projects will stall, and disputes will be inevitable.
Engaging Tenants on Energy Conservation: Real World Examples and Best Practices
The ULI Tenant Energy Optimization Program is a ten-step process that integrates energy efficiency into the pre-lease, design, construction, and post-occupancy phases to deliver energy savings of 30 to 50 percent, with an average payback period of three to five years and a 25 percent internal rate of return (IRR).
LADWP’s Revamped Incentive Programs: Faster Processing
LADWP has revamped its Custom Performance Program (CPP) with enhanced features to tailor the program to better fit your project size and needs, expedite application processing, and maximize the ROI of your projects. Watch the recording for an update on the new program, and an interactive Q&A session with the LADWP team.
Innovation Awards Finalists
Each year the LABBC Innovation Awards recognize the City’s most innovative energy and water efficiency projects. This year the competition was more intense than ever, and all of this year’s Finalists are truly exceptional projects. Watch the recording to learn more.