Why Use Our Expertise?
Expertise, control, coordination, accountability and decision-making are invaluable during the delivery schedule of a facility design. Our Strategic Partners have completed many projects where there were concerns over proper utilization of expertise, conflicting programs, budget issues and shortened delivery times. With each project the individual Strategic Partners provide innovative and effective and efficient solutions.
Our Areas of Expertise
1. “Strategic Alliance”
2. “Strategic Partners”
3. “Integrated Project Delivery-IPD”
4. “General Contracting”
5. “Architects”
6. “Mechanical Engineering”
7. “Electrical Engineering”
8. “Civil Engineering”
9. “LEED AP”
10. “Commissioning”
11. “Energy Analysis”
12. “EPAct 2005-Energy Tax Deductions”
13. “Pre-Bid Quality Validation”
14. “Facility Analysis & IAQ Monitoring”
15. “Single Point of Contact—POC”
EPAct 2005
BASEPOINT GROUP, Ltd. has completed several tax incentive projects as authorized under the EPAct 2005 Law.
Commercial Property Owners and Leaseholders Qualify for Energy Efficiency Tax Deduction
The commercial building deduction appears at new section 179D, which was enacted in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The provision allows a deduction to a taxpayer who owns, or is a lessee of, a commercial building and installs property as part of the commercial building’s interior lighting systems, heating, cooling, ventilation, and hot water systems, or building envelope. Certification must be obtained to verify that the property installed satisfies the energy efficiency requirements of section 179D.
Note: These provisions, originally set to expire 12/31/2007, have been extended as set forth in the Tax Relief & Health Care Act of 2006. Please contact Dave Fritz as to the new expiration date.
Notice 2006-52 sets forth interim guidance pending the issuance of regulations that explains how commercial building owners or leaseholders can qualify for a tax deduction. The Notice establishes a process to certify the required energy savings in order to claim the deduction.
The amount deductible under section 179D may be as much as $1.80 per square foot of building floor area for buildings that achieve a 50-percent reduction in energy and power costs. Notice 2006-52 provides that buildings that achieve a reduction in energy and power costs of less than 50-percent may, nevertheless, qualify for a deduction of 60 cents per square foot of building floor area if the building achieves a reduction in energy and power costs of 16⅔-percent.
Before claiming the deduction, the taxpayer must obtain a certification that the required energy savings will be achieved. Refer to the attached notice which prescribes the content of that certification and the qualifications that must be met by the person providing the certification.
The Department of Energy will create and maintain a public list of software that must be used to calculate energy savings for purposes of providing the certification. The notice provides a process that software developers must use if they desire to have their software included on that list. (IRS Notice 2006-52)
Design Validation
When an HVAC system works, building occupants don't even know it’s there—no news is good news. The bad news is, in a recent survey done by the International Facility Management Association, too cold and too hot rank first and second of top 10 office complaints. Hot and cold problems can be caused by many factors: too little capacity, too much capacity, lack of zoning, too little control, varying space usage, varying solar load, changes in occupancy, changes to the space envelope, drafts and diffuser performance, or too little ventilation. Complaints usually come from building occupants who may not be able to distinguish between drafts and being too cold or between stuffiness and being too hot. (IFM)
BASEPOINT GROUP, Ltd. is available to help eliminate the above scenario with our detailed Pre-design Validation Program (PVP). Please contact Dave Fritz for more details how BPG can reduce functionality issues and increase your bottom line.
LEED / GREEN
Benefits and Disadvantages:
The move towards LEED and green building practices has been driven greatly by the tremendous benefits which are a direct result of implementing a green approach. Green buildings use key resources more efficiently when compared to conventional buildings which are simply built to code. LEED creates healthier work and living environments, contributes to higher productivity and improved employee health and comfort. The USGBC has also compiled a long list of benefits of implementing a LEED strategy which ranges from improving air and water quality to reducing solid waste. The fundamental reduction in relative environmental impacts in addition to all of the economic and occupant benefits goes a long way for making a case for green building. It is also important to note that these benefits are reaped by anyone who comes into contact with the project which includes owners, designers, occupants and society as a whole.
These benefits do not come without a cost however. Currently within the industry, green buildings cost more to both design and construct when compared to conventional buildings. These increased costs typically represent initial up front costs which are incurred at the start of the project. However, these initial cost increases can be minimized by the economic gains associated with constructing a LEED certified green building. These economic gains can take the form of anything from productivity gains to decreased life cycle operating costs. Studies have suggested that an initial upfront investment of 2% will yield over ten times the initial investment over the life cycle of the building. From this perspective, there is no initial cost. In fact the initial cost is actually an investment.
Although the deployment of the LEED Standard has raised awareness of Green Building practices, its scoring system is skewed toward the ongoing use of fossil fuels. More than half of the available points in the Standard support efficient use of fossil fuels, while only a handful are awarded for the use of sustainable energy sources. Further the USGBC has stated support for the 2030 Challenge, an effort that has set a goal of efficient fossil fuel use by 2030. Despite its broad acceptance, mounting scientific evidence suggests that a more aggressive program of sustainable energy deployment is required to protect the climate, than that promoted by the LEED Standard and the USGBC.
Certification:
Different LEED versions have varied scoring systems based on a set of required "prerequisites" and a variety of "credits" in the six major categories listed above. In LEED v2.2 for new construction and major renovations for commercial buildings there are 69 possible points and buildings can qualify for four levels of certification: Certified: 26-32 Points – Silver: 33-38 Points - Gold: 39-51 Points – Platinum: 52-69 Points. (Wikipedia)
Commissioning
Commissioning is a systematic process of ensuring that all building systems perform interactively according to the contract documents, the owner’s objectives and operational needs. This is achieved ideally by developing and documenting Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) beginning in the pre-design phase; continuing through design, with reviews of design and contract documents; and continuing through construction and the warranty period with actual verification through review, testing and documentation of performance. (BCA)
Energy Analysis
Building thermal performance calculations are made for two primary reasons. They are made to size and select mechanical equipment or to predict the annual energy consumption of a structure. While these two tasks are not mutually exclusive, and some programs can handle both tasks, they do tend to be conducted in isolation from each other.
• Sizing programs are primarily designed to calculate peak hourly loads during the heating and cooling seasons. Almost all buildings of any complexity have a sizing analysis of some kind run by an architect, engineer, or mechanical contractor. Most sizing programs are based on consensus procedures and algorithms established by ASHRAE, but many are proprietary products distributed or sold by equipment manufacturers.
• Energy programs are primarily designed to predict the annual energy consumed by a structure in terms of BTUs, dollars, or pollution avoidance. In the past, few buildings benefited from energy analysis. Today energy analysis tools are becoming more common and are being applied earlier in the design process.
To decide what computer-based, energy analysis tool is best for your project, it is important to have a basic understanding of how these tools operate. (WBDG)
