HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-29-20 Public Comment - S. Bilo - Climate Guiding Document SuggestionsFrom:Susan Bilo
To:Agenda; Natalie Meyer
Cc:skbilo@gmail.com
Subject:Bilo Guiding Document Suggestions
Date:Thursday, October 29, 2020 7:16:57 PM
Attachments:Bilo_Bzmn Guiding Doc Suggestions_Oct_29_2020.pdf
Bozeman City Commission and Ms. Meyer: Please accept the attached 1-page Memo with my
suggestions for guiding documents. I am more than happy to provide additional information.
Sincerely, Susan Bilo885 Brookdale Drive
Bozeman, MT 59715
To: Bozeman City Commission & Natalie Meyer
From: Susan Bilo, Bozeman Citizen
Re: Guiding Documents Suggestions
Date: October 29, 2020
As follow-up to my talking points and conversations with several of you, here are my guiding
document suggestions.
► For the last Commission work session, Letter (H) page 285 #5 reads: “Encourage
subdivision orientation in a manner that maximizes potential for rooftop solar energy
generation.” I suggest changing to “Encourage all buildings to be designed and
constructed to A. minimize energy (with an ultra-low Energy Use Intensity = EUI) and
water use and B. maximize solar energy system electricity production to achieve Net
Zero Energy-Ready (NZE) and Electric Vehicle-Ready goals.”
If an architect, builder or developer adopts these goals, they will have to orient buildings and
subdivisions a certain way to succeed.
Because Bozeman’s current code will not allow the city to achieve the new CAP goals, NZE-
Ready is critical. How can Bozeman lead the way and provide training and incentives?
► There are basic universal NZE Best Practices that architects, engineers and builders use
today to achieve NZE and NZE-Ready goals, and they are being applied to all building
types. Engineer Marc Rosenbaum summarizes here:
https://www.bpcgreenbuilders.com/PDF/MarkRosenbaum_13BestPractices_F2014.pdf
If interested, the Net Zero Energy Coalition (now called Team Zero) tracks the residential
sector, and the New Buildings Institute tracks commercial and institutional projects.
► BOLD metrics for measuring success: The Energy Use Intensity (EUI) is the term
you need to know and ask about! (FYI: EUI units are in kBtu/square foot/year and allow us
to compare overall energy use regardless of energy sources). For the residential sector,
EUIs should be at 18 or below. For the commercial and institutional sectors, EUIs should be
around 25 or below (in general).
► NZE programs already exist that provide guidelines and often, technical
assistance. One example is the Collaborative for High-Performance Schools (CHPS)
program that Bozeman School District uses. Although the new Gallatin HS is not NZE, the
program does provide that path option. Perhaps you could encourage the next new school
be NZE!
► Whitehall’s Mountain Horizon’s Solar Subdivision = the National Affordable Housing
Network’s local example that builds NZE-ready homes that are affordable to build and live
in. If Bozeman developed such a neighborhood, it would address A. affordable housing,
and B. Climate Action Plan goals (greenhouse gas reduction and resiliency). Success
depends upon progressive and proactive land use planning.
http://www.nahn.com/mountain-horizon/