From: Genell Scheurell <Genell_Scheurell@nthp.org> Date: Wed, 2 Dec 2009 14:04:58 -0500 Subject: FW: Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy and Historic Preservation: A Guide for HDC's Message-ID: <1BB68F6D411C33499A67A9FAA2D889BE4F47A00FE7@NTEMAIL.nthp.org>
FYI. There is a new guide for Historic Preservation Commissions titled, En
ergy Efficient, Renewable Energy and Historic Preservation: A Guide for His
toric District Commissions. The guide is available for download at http://w
ww.cleanair-coolplanet.org/for_communities/HDCGuide.pdf. Information descr
ibing the publication is shown below.
Questions can be directed to:
Bill Burtis
Manager, Communications and Special Projects
Clean Air-Cool Planet
100 Market Street, Ste 204
Portsmouth, NH 03801
phone: 603-422-6464, x 105
bburtis@cleanair-coolplanet.org<mailto:bburtis@cleanair-coolplanet.org>
www.cleanair-coolplanet.org<http://www.cleanair-coolplanet.org/>
Genell Scheurell
Genell Scheurell | Senior Program Officer, Midwest Office
National Trust for Historic Preservation | 53 W. Jackson Boulevard, Suite 3
50, Chicago, Illinois 60604
Phone: 312.939.5547, Ext. 37223 | Fax: 312.939.5651| Email: genell_scheurel
l@nthp.org | www.PreservationNation.org<http://www.preservationnation.org/>
New guide to improving energy use
in historic homes and districts released
PORTSMOUTH, NH - A new publication from Clean Air-Cool Planet is designed t
o help historic district commissions and other local organizations and prop
erty owners make historic buildings more energy efficient.
Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy and Historic Preservation: A Guide for
Historic District Commissions details in 40 pages ways to employ energy eff
iciency measures and renewable energy without detracting from the historic
value of properties, from private residences to community buildings and mus
eums.
"A large proportion of the buildings in the U. S. are considered historic,
whether they are officially designated or not," said Anne Stephenson, Ph.D.
, who oversaw the preparation of the Guide. "Unfortunately, there is a per
ception that those properties cannot or should not be made energy efficient
.
"That's an ironic attitude, considering that some of our more efficient and
climate-wise building practices were common in colonial times," Stephenson
said. "This guide revisits some of the lessons old buildings can teach us
and provides a bridge over the perceived divide between preservationists a
nd those concerned with climate and energy issues."
The Guide offers:
* An introduction to local energy and sustainability committees for hist
oric preservationists;
* Specific ways for preservationists and local energy groups to work tog
ether;
* Details about energy efficiency measures that protect historic value o
f properties;
* Examples of successfully employed renewable energy applications within
historic districts;
* Answers to frequently asked questions from building owners and members
of local energy committees;
* And resources for further research and information.
More than 15 percent of buildings in the U.S. were built before 1939 - with
a much higher percentage in the East - and most buildings constructed befo
re 1850 were not designed to be heated or cooled with fossil fuels.
"We know that more than 20 percent of energy use in this country comes from
the residential sector's heating, cooling, and electricity use," said Clea
n Air-Cool Planet CEO and President Adam Markham. "This guide addresses wa
ys to make a significant portion of that housing stock - particularly in th
e energy-poor northeast - more efficient and affordable.
"By finding ways to make our historic buildings more efficient, we also mak
e their preservation, and the preservation of our local history and culture
, more possible," Markham said.
The guide was researched and written by Meghan Giuliano and Virginia Way, t
wo of Clean Air-Cool Planet's 2009 Climate Fellows, over the course of the
summer, when Way interned on Nantucket Island and Giuliano was based at Str
awbery Banke museum for her research on efficiency and preservation.
Way's work, "Sustainable Preservation, An addendum to Building with Nantuck
et in Mind" was formally accepted as part of the Historic District Commissi
on guidelines for Nantucket Island, which is recognized internationally for
preservation work. It appears in the CA-CP Guide as an appendix.
The Guide is available from the Clean Air-Cool Planet website at www.cleana
ir-coolplanet.org/for_communities/HDCGuide.pdf<http://www.cleanair-coolplan
et.org/for_communities/HDCGuide.pdf>.
A webinar on Wednesday, December 2, at from noon to 1 p.m.., moderated by A
nne Stephenson, Ph.D. with Ginny Way, author of the addendum to Building wi
th Nantucket in Mind, and Julia Dundorf, co-director of the New England Car
bon Challenge, will discuss the guide and the important ways local energy c
ommittees and historic district commissions can work together to help commu
nities and property owners with energy efficiency and renewable energy appl
ications. For details and to register, visit: https://www1.gotomeeting.com
/register/935195553.
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