Sustainability: Historic Green – Passive Strategies for Heating and Cooling

Written by: Corie Baker, AIA, LEED AP, Pond and Company

The continued use and reuse of historic buildings is, at its core, a sustainable building practice – it reduces demolition waste, it reduces the use of new materials and resources, and it limits new infrastructure needs. In addition, historic buildings often utilized passive heating and cooling strategies, which are still relevant today and can help reduce the loads on modern mechanical equipment.  

About the Buckland House

RAP's Headquarters, The Buckland House,  is undergoing  some much-needed repairs as part of the Buckland House Restoration Project. One of the first considerations when looking to make alterations to a historic home is to consider how appropriate these changes are to the home and how these changes may affect its historic integrity. Do the changes work with the style of the home? Do they preserve the character-defining features that make it special?

SUSTAINABILITY: SUCH A FAN!

Fans can make a big temperature difference right away and can add to an interior / exterior space. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that if you raise your thermostat by only two degrees and use your ceiling fan, you can lower cooling costs by up to 14 percent. According to TheDailyGreen.com, “Fans use 90% less energy than central air, and make rooms feel seven to ten degrees cooler because of the process of evaporation.” In the winter, most fans can be run in reverse, pushing warm air down.

Formerly the eyesore of any interior decoration project, newer models offer many “historic” looks to compliment any decor. There are many companies online that offer more specialized options than your big box retailer. It’s worth a search on the internet—there are even some that function replicating an old “pulley system.”

This Old House has a great guide to purchasing and installing a ceiling fan: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,453858,00.html

Here are some basics about ceiling fans:
1)Select the right fan for the size of the space. Energy Star has a great guide (http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=ceiling_fans.pr_ceiling_fans_basics)
2)Select the right fan for your needs. Fans that have been UL listed with a “damp” rating are good for bathrooms and spaces. If the fan comes in direct contact with water, like on a patio or front porch, look for a UL “wet” rating. These fans include features such as sealed/moisture resistant motors, rust resistant housing, stainless steel hardware, and all weather blades.

Use your historic whole-house attic fans
Historic buildings were located and built to take advantage of breezes and, through their design, established patterns of cross ventilation. Many also relied on whole-house attic fans, mounted on the attic floor, to assist in pulling air from outside windows and circulate it throughout the home. Air circulation helps cleanse the home and promotes healthy air. If you have a whole-house attic fan, use it.

NPS releases new Guidelines on Sustainability and Rehabilitation for Historic Buildings

This past Earth Day (April 22, 2011) Technical Preservation Services (TPS) released, “The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation & Illustrated Guidelines on Sustainability for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings.” They are the latest in a series of guidelines on historic features such as masonry and roofs, which are available at Guidelines for Rehabilitation, offering guidance on “recommended” and “not recommended” treatments, with illustrations, intended to assist owners plan rehabilitation projects that meet the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation. These new Guidelines on Sustainability replace the previous sections which dealt with energy conservation. The two work together: the Standards offer philosophical guidance, while the Guidelines offer practical advice on how to conduct the work.

National Parks Service (NPS) states, “The guidelines stress the inherent sustainability of historic buildings.” The approach of the guidelines always has been to first attempt the least invasive and gentlest alterations possible, before considering drastic approaches that may have a greater impact on historic fabric. The new sustainability guidelines offer advice on sustainability planning; energy efficiency for windows; HVAC systems; weatherization and insulation; as well as new approaches such as the addition of solar panels to roofs; wind power systems; and cool roofs and green roofs. As always, the guidelines stress the importance of maintenance.

TPS, Cultural Services, Washington DC is a division of the National Parks Service (NPS) that authored the Preservation Briefs , Preservation Tech Notes, and Technical Reports; which guide much of the Rehabilitation work in this country. As sustainable building practices develop, it is important to stay current. TPS is also in the process of re-writing Preservation Brief 3: Conserving Energy in Historic Buildings.

The Sustainability Guidelines are an important addition to an ongoing conversation about green building and historic preservation --an effort that has really picked up steam in the last five years. The National Trust, as one of the agencies at the forefront of the conversation, is working with the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and has set up a Preservation Green Lab in Seattle Washington as part of its Sustainability Program. The Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG), a program of the National Institute of Building Sciences, has set up a Historic Preservation subcommittee addressing sustainable building practices.

For our part, RAP will disseminate information to better assist our members in making decisions about sustainable upgrades to their historic structures. We will bring the conversation to a local level, discussing issues and problems pertinent to our district and climate.

GET THE GUIDELINES
The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation & Illustrated Guidelines on Sustainability for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings. (PDF – 53.49 MB!)

ADD TO THE CONVERSATION
Keep the conversation going >>>Add information to this story, or add a story of your own related to sustainability and preservation.

Road Trip! Mark Your Calenders

The Greenest Building: Historic Preservation and Energy Efficiency

The Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation is going GREEN in the month of September! Did you know that the greenest building is the one already built. Discover how your historic building is Green as the experts discuss ways to maximize your energy efficiency without compromising your building’s historic integrity.

Topics will include: energy audits, windows, insulation, HVAC

Sep 24 2009, 6-8pm
Tallahassee Garden Club
507 North Calhoun Street
Tallahassee, FL

This event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Please RSVP by calling 488-7334 by Monday, September 21st. For more information, contact Tiffany Baker, Program Coordinator at 850-488-7334.