HomeMy WebLinkAboutTIF and energy memoBe it Resolved, the Sustainability Advisory Board requests that the following memo be
submitted to the Common Council and City Manager for immediate consideration:
To: Common Council, City Manager Mark Rohloff
From: Sustainability Advisory Board
Re: TIF Supported Building and Energy Efficiency
Date:
According to a recent study recently released by McKinsey & Company and sponsored in part by
the USGBC, investing in energy efficient buildings combined with other non - transportation
initiatives can reduce energy consumption in the United States by 23 percent by 2020.
Ideally, private building initiatives would self - select to build incorporating energy efficiency
measures recognizing the cost savings in reduced energy consumption, but this isn't always the
case. TIF supported construction projects offer an opportunity for the city to encourage or
require the construction of energy efficient buildings in order to qualify for tax payer support.
The Sustainability Advisory Board recommends that the Common Council and City Staff
strongly encourage or require that TIF supported building and construction be built according to
one of several recognized energy efficiency standards:
a. Building to "LEED Standards ", an internationally recognized green building
certification system aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter
most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor
environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts;
b. "Design to Achieve Energy Star Certification ", a program run by the EPA to help
buildings maximize energy efficiency. The Energy Star program has developed
energy performance rating systems for several commercial and institutional building
types and manufacturing facilities.
Builders and developers are already building using energy efficiency standards such as LEED
and Energy Star in Oshkosh and throughout the region. By requiring or strongly encouraging TIF
supported projects to do the same the city will be actively encouraging energy conservation and
greenhouse gas reductions in the private sector.
Thank you for your consideration.