general services administration office of federal high performance green buildings dan jackson –...

General Services Administration

Office of Federal High Performance Green Buildings

Dan Jackson – LMI Energy and Environment

Keith Herrmann – LMI Energy and Environment

Michaeleh Jones – LMI Organizational Improvement

www.gsa.gov

Communicating Energy Reduction Strategies, Technologies, and Practices and Overcoming Barriers to Implementation Communication Strategy and Plan 2.3September 2011

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Version History

Changes Made Comments Version Number As of Date

Project Overview Final Draft 1.1 10 May 2011

Project Overview Revised Draft 1.2 16 May 2011

Strategy, Plan and Diagram Initial Draft 2.1 10 Aug 2011

Strategy, Plan and Diagram Revised Draft 2.2 18 Aug 2011

Strategy, Plan and Diagram Review SLAM 2.3 9 Sept 2011

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Contents

• Project Overview– Purpose– Background– Objectives

• Communication Strategy– Strategy– Who the Stakeholders Are– How the Communication Flows– What the Messages Are– Plan

• Appendices

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PROJECT OVERVIEW

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OFHPGB Mission and Roles

• Roles of the OFHPGB:– Identify and expand opportunities to improve building

performance.– Remove barriers to sustainable facilities.– Pilot and adopt transformative sustainable practices.– Aid in the implementation of Legislative and Executive

mandates to meet energy reduction goals.

The Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings strategically facilitates the adoption of integrated sustainable practices, technologies, and behaviors to accelerate the achievement of a zero environmental footprint.

Project Alignment& Case for Change

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Project Purpose

• This requires us to understand:

• Target audience: energy managers, facility managers, and project managers engaged in lighting and thermal conditioning projects

To bring knowledge about energy reducing technologies, strategies, and practices to the field in ways that are accessible and useful for implementation in building O&M and small-scale renovations.

Process

People

Barriers

Change Levers

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Project Background

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Project Objectives

• Clarify the process to move energy reducing technologies, strategies, and practices to adoption.

• Uncover the roles, influences, and gaps present within the adoption process.

• Examine the synergies among decision makers and influencers.

• Pinpoint the key barriers and enablers to improve adoption.• Reach a consensus on “no-brainer” lighting and thermal

conditioning energy reduction solutions.• Develop an effective communications strategy and plan to

disseminate energy research and usage data.

To translate research and usage data on energy reduction solutions into communication tools and methods that can be disseminated to decision

makers and end users.

Objective 1

Objective 3

Objective 4

Objective 2

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COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

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Purpose of Communication Strategy

• To provide the target audience of facility managers, energy managers, and project managers the information and materials necessary to support their efforts to increase the adoption of energy-reducing technologies, practices, and strategies.

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Scope and Caveats

• The communication strategy and plan provide a general overview of how communication flows in the retrofit process.

• The strategy and plan recognize variations exist between and within regions and therefore were not intended to highlight all contractual relationships and feedback loops.

• The following slides are intended to be used by facility, energy, and project managers to identify when and how communications can benefit the retrofit process.

• Many more activities support and contribute to the success of retrofit projects and are included as supplemental slides to the communication plan.

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How to Realize the Communication Strategy

• Understand the retrofit process as the method for adopting energy-reducing technologies, strategies, and practices

• Identify stakeholders engaged in the retrofit process• Define communication pathways that exist between the

stakeholders• Identify key messages and mechanisms that facilitate

communication

Recognize that success does not rest solely on the actions of facility managers, energy managers, and project managers

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High-Level View of the Retrofit Process

*The exact flow and sequencing of the retrofit process may differ depending on the project type and complexity.

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Who the Stakeholders Are

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How the Communication Flows

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What the Messages Are

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Description of the Messaging

• Within the communication plan, there are three categories of messages:

– Awarenesso Messages crafted to inform the intended audience on

a variety of topics– Status

o Messages that provide information related to the project and its management

– Educationo Messages that teach new skills or increase the

knowledge of the audience

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Types of Awareness Messaging

• Benefits – identify what the audience gains as a result of the retrofit or upgrade

• Successful Implementation – present examples where the retrofit or upgrade resulted in energy savings, improved working conditions, etc.

• Technical Solutions – provide information specific to the proposed or adopted solution

• Alternative Financing – promote financing mechanisms in addition to operational and capital improvement budgets

• Project – share general information about the overall project including schedule

• Change – address rumors and concerns about the impact on the building and its tenants

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Types of Education Messaging

• Technical Solutions – provide tailored training on how to operate and maintain the retrofit or upgrade as well as any necessary behavior changes

• Alternative Financing – train Contracting Officers on the policy and procedures governing the use of alternative financing mechanisms

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Communication Plan – Planning

Communication / Change Management Activity

Messaging Targeted Stakeholder Group

Materials Needed

Owner / Responsible Party

Frequency Notes

Update the building asset plan to include an energy retrofit or upgrade

Awareness: BenefitsAwareness: Successful Implementation

Regional Leadership One-Pager Property Manager Per retrofit or upgrade

Prepare information on the proposed retrofit or upgrade to specifically address energy and cost savings and the capital improvement benefits

Share ideas and potential solutions specific to the building

Awareness: Technical Solutions

Portfolio Manager One-Pager Facility Manager Quarterly/ Monthly

Provide potential projects, as early as possible, to be considered for funding as available

Conduct audits and prepare reports


Regional Leadership One-Pager Property Manager As necessary

Directed by the property manager these are performed by external parties and provide further justification for the assignment of funds and implementation of energy retrofits and upgrades

Planning

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Communication Plan – Assessing



Materials Needed


Frequency Notes

Communicate identified Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs)


Regional Leadership One-Pager Property Manager Per energy audit

Identify energy saving opportunities leadership can act on

Assessing

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Communication Plan – Financing



Materials Needed


Frequency Notes

Provide information on capital improvement budgets and alternative financing (ESPCs, PPA, UESCs)

Awareness: Alternative Financing

Head of Contracting Activity

One-Pager Regional SMEs As necessary

Promote awareness and understanding of budgetary constraints and alternative financing as pertains to energy retrofits and upgrades; savings may not be realized for two years which necessitates early planning

Provide information on capital improvement budgets and alternative financing (ESPCs, PPA, UESCs)

Education: Alternative Financing

Contracting Officer One-Pager,Briefing,Training Session


As necessary

Promote awareness and understanding of budgetary constraints and alternative financing as pertains to energy retrofits and upgrades

Financing

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Communication Plan – Evaluating / Selecting



Materials Needed


Frequency Notes

Send status updates Status Regional Leadership Briefing Project Manager Monthly Report schedule status and any unforseen challenges or problems; report against performance verification metrics

Demonstrate selected technology to regional leadership


Regional Leadership Demo Property Manager, Project Manager, Contractor

As necessary

Offer regional leadership the opportunity to obtain hands-on exposure to the proposed solutions; explain the decision process to select the funding and energy solutions

Document for historical record the heuristic evaluation and subsequent decisions that established the requirements of the design and/or procurement

Awareness: Project Project Team White Paper Project Team At conclusion of selection

Establish a shared resource to coordinate the Project Team

Awareness: Project Project Team SharePoint (or similar software) or LAN

Project Manager Once, at project's beginning

Create a central repository for project-related information

Evaluating / Selecting

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Communication Plan – Designing / Cost Estimating



Materials Needed


Frequency Notes


Demonstrate specific features of the retrofit or upgrade to allow for tenant input


Tenants Demo Property Manager, Project Manager, Contractor

As necessary

Allow tenants an opportunity to provide input to the choices increasing buy-in and adoption

Designing / Cost Estimating

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Communication Plan – Procuring



Materials Needed


Frequency Notes

Send status updates Status Regional Leadership Briefing Project Manager Monthly Report schedule status and any unforseen challenges or problems

Establish a project website Awareness: Project Tenants SharePoint (or similar software)

Property Manager Once, prior to implementation

Allow tenants to track progress and learn more about the ECMs; post the project team's schedule; and provide a mechanism for collecting and responding to questions

Procuring

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Communication Plan – Implementing



Materials Needed


Frequency Notes

Hold meetings or townhalls with tenant representatives

Awareness: ChangeAwareness: Project

Tenants Briefing, Townhalls, Handouts

Property Manager, Contractor

As necessary

Keep tenants informed about the impact of the coming changes and the envisioned project

Alert and update tenants on upcoming scheduled work, including delays and after-hours plans.

Awareness: Project Tenants Emails, Posters, Project Website


Varies with project type

Establish a schedule for distributing messages (8 weeks out, 6 weeks out, etc) to keep tenants aware of impact (not necessary in unoccupied building)

Maintain project website Awareness: Project Tenants SharePoint (or similar technology)

Property Manager Weekly Maintain website with current information

Conduct local training educating tenants on the technology and demonstrate the solution

Education: Technical Solutions

Tenants Emails, One-Pagers, Showcase Room, Lobby Displays


Quarterly to monthly

Provide exposure to the technology to demystify and allow for questions; train on proper operation; share ownership of a successful reduction in energy consumption with tenants


Send status updates Status Project Team Briefing Contractor Weekly Report schedule status and any unforseen challenges or problems; report against performance verification metrics

Conduct technical training Education: Technical Solutions

Facility Manager Briefing Deck / Demo

Contractor Periodic Train on proper operation and maintenance (need is dependent on solution)

Implementing

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Communication Plan – Commissioning



Materials Needed


Frequency Notes

Send status updates Status Project Team Briefing Contractor Weekly Report schedule status and any unforseen challenges or problems; report against performance verification metrics


Maintain project website Awareness: Project Tenants SharePoint (or similar software)

Property Manager Weekly Maintain website with current information

Commissioning

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Communication Plan – Operating / Maintaining



Materials Needed


Frequency Notes

Periodic messaging (if behavior changes are required)

Education: Technical Solutions

Tenants Email, Posters

Property Manager Periodic Schedule messages based on the degree of behavioral change required; the greater the change, the more frequent communications should be

Operating / Maintaining

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Communication Plan – Monitoring / Verifying



Materials Needed


Frequency Notes

Track and report energy savings Awareness: Benefits Regional Leadership Briefing Project Manager, Facility/Energy Manager

Quarterly Confirm actual energy savings align with design estimate; define at levels appropriate to the project

Monitoring / Verifying

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Communication Plan – Promoting Success



Materials Needed


Frequency Notes

Draft white paper Awareness: BenefitsAwareness: Successful Implementation

External Audiences White Paper Project Team Share through FedSource

Encourage and publicize energy savings

Awareness: Benefits Tenants Lobby Display,Emails, Posters

Project Manager, Facility/Energy Manager

Initially weekly, then taper off as savings stabilize

Engage tenants in the success of the implementation, for example: establish a contest between tenants, post usage and decrease, associate cost savings with other savings such as a reduction in carbon footprint

Present case study of building at local and government-wide conferences

Awareness: BenefitsAwareness: Successful Implementation

External Audiences Briefing Project Team Share lessons learned with other agencies and departments

Contribute to Contracting Officer training

Awareness: Technical SolutionsAwareness: Alternative Financing


Briefing Contracting Officer As necessary

Contribute suggestions and content for future Contracting Officer training to increase knowledge and use of ECMs and alternate financing

Promoting Success

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Supporting Activities

• Minimum Performance Requirements – these establish the ground rules for determining project requirements; they should be available to project teams and contracting officers for incorporation into projects

• Performance Verification – throughout the course of the project, actively measuring how the building is meeting the requirements

• Measurements & Verification – set at a national level, the appropriate metrics and acceptable levels

• Clearing House – establish a single site that draws from all available experts to allow project teams to find the most recent and relevant materials just-in-time

There are additional activities that support the target audience and surround the retrofit process. These activities exist in varying degrees of

maturity.

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Supporting Activities - continued

• Guiding Principles – establish and publish standards; require facility managers to report a building’s performance against these standards

• Assessments by Regional Subject Matter Experts – Management Analysis & Review System (MARS) and Environmental Risk Index (ERI) are examples of assessments performed at the regional level that support decision-making and prioritization of projects

• Working Groups – led by regional SMEs; these provide a mechanism for identifying where resources can be pooled for maximum effect and dynamic scenarios can be explored

There are additional activities that support the target audience and surround the retrofit process. These activities exist in varying degrees of

maturity.

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APPENDICES

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Project Objectives

ResearchResearch AdoptionAdoption

Communication and Outreach: Barriers and Enablers

Communication and Outreach: Opportunities for Energy Reducing Technologies, Strategies, and Practices

Objective 1Objective 2

Objective 3

Players

Roles

Relationships

Influences

Communication Strategy

Objective 4

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Gaps in the Process

1. Stovepiped stages and a lack of feedback loops result in a dysfunctional adoption process (i.e. procurement policy is to purchase lowest price not most energy efficient products).

2. Decisions to adopt energy reduction solutions do not focus on outcomes such as implementation or performance.

3. Energy research is not connected with facility-level implementers—focus is on the gadget.

4. Economics and asset valuations exclude important factors (i.e. real cost of energy and life-cycle costs).

During the workshop, researchers and practitioners identified four main gaps in the process to adopt energy reduction solutions.

The process to adopt energy reducing technologies, strategies, and practices includes eight primary stages.

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Stages of the Adoption Process

Stage Definition

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Adoption Process has Interdependencies

The process to adopt energy reduction solutions tends to occur in a linear direction, …

but the system is more complex and interdependent!

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Roles and Influences

Decision Makers Influencers

Agency leadership Agency policy makers

Architect/engineer services Architect/engineer services

Building owner Building owner

Client organization/building tenant Client organization/building tenant

Codes and standards committees Codes and standards committees

Congress Congress*

Consultant (specialized) Consultant (specialized)

Contracting officer Designer (specialized)*/constructor

Designers (specialized) DOE FEMP

DOE FEMP Electrician

Facilities management Energy Service Companies

Facility/property manager or contractor Financier

Funding authority Funding authority

Interagency Working Groups/Tri-Service Working Groups General contractor

Occupants Interagency Working Groups/Tri-Service Working Groups

OMB Environmental National laboratories

OMB, GSA, or other executive agency Lobbyists

Organizational energy manager Occupants

Procurement office Procurement office

Professional engineer Procurement policy makers (OMB)

Project manager Professional associations

Unions Public opinion

PUCs/Utilities

Researchers

Supply chain (reputable manufacturer, vendor, supplier, distributor, installer)Universities

Note: DOE FEMP = Department of Energy Federal Energy Management Program; OMB = Office of Management and Budget; PUCs = public utility commissions.

The process to adopt energy reduction solutions involves multiple players and organizations with varying levels of influence.

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Synergies to Build Upon Exist

• Observed synergies include:– Collaborative and hierarchical decision making approaches

exist.– Entities may be both decision maker and influencer.– Procurement policy is about how to procure not what to

procure.– Some decisions are technical or managerial while others are

policy oriented. – Ground-level implementers need a well-informed outlook

from top-level decision makers.

Crafting an effective communications strategy requires an understanding of the adoption process, the interrelationships among decision makers and

their interests, and funding sources.

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Enablers to Address Barriers

• These levers of change address a majority of the barriers:– Bundle energy reduction solutions.– Create a safety net to mitigate tendencies of decision

makers to be risk-averse.– Enhance the procurement and contracting processes.– Gear research toward outcomes and the people who can

act on it.– Improve education and training for decision makers and

end users.– Overcome organizational and cultural barriers.– Use life-cycle accounting.

A communication strategy focused on the adoption of energy reducing technologies, strategies, and practices should address the barriers at each

stage of the decision-making process.

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Promising Energy Reduction Solutions

• Lighting:

– Benchmarking / total energy audits– Bundled lighting solutions– Education– Energy-efficient lighting fixtures and systems– Occupancy sensors

• Thermal Conditioning:

– Cool roofs– Deadband / personal-controlled conditioning– Façade upgrades– Monitoring energy comfort with standardized methods– Retro-commissioning with continuous commissioning

Participants identified five promising lighting and thermal conditioning technologies, strategies, or practices. The consensus believe a strategy-

based approach is vital to adopt these energy reduction solutions.

general services administration office of federal high performance green buildings dan jackson –...

Documents

energy managers

adoption of energy

energy research

project managers

energy reduction strategies

energy reduction goals

project background

project objectivesclarify