Sustainability strategies that work for historic Forest Service buildings

Here are some of the more common sustainability improvement methods that work well and are usually cost effective for historic Forest Service buildings:

Water Use Reduction

• Collect and use rainwater or greywater (where allowed by State and local Codes) using modern systems that are not visually intrusive.
• When replacing fixtures, choose low flow toilet, urinal, faucet, and shower models with appearance compatible with the historic building. Waterless urinals are available. Ceramic models generally perform better than plastic models.

Energy Performance

Windows

• Retain or restore working historic shutters to reduce heat gain on south and west sides of buildings in summer and to reduce heat loss at night on all sides of the building during cold months. This is particularly effective when a building has significant thermal mass (masonry or solid logs).
• Use awnings, blinds, and drapes, where historically appropriate, to reduce heat gain by 65% and more.
• Retain or restore and use existing operable windows, louvers, and monitors to reduce demand for heating, cooling, and ventilation during temperate months. Educate occupants on effective use of windows.
• Preserve high ceilings to allow air to circulate and light to enter into a building.
• Where there are large windows and occupied parts of rooms are close to them, consider installing daylight photosensors to switch overhead electric lights off when light from windows is adequate.
• Retain existing skylights or consider adding skylights or solar tubes on rear roofs to reduce the need for electric lights. Locate skylights carefully to minimize direct sunlight on work surfaces.
• Add interior or removable storm windows (or retain and upgrade existing), caulk, and weatherstripping to historic windows rather than replacing them.

HVAC and Insulation

• Whenever replacing a furnace, air conditioner, water heater, or appliance always choose Energy Star or other low-energy-use devices.
• Add programmable thermostats to buildings that receive little use during evenings or weekends so heating and air conditioning are reduced when not needed. Override switches allow employees working outside standard hours to engage full heating and cooling while they are in the building.
• Add insulation to wood frame attics and walls, and to foundation perimeters if insulation levels don’t meet current standards. Do this only where it can be accomplished without damaging historic materials or creating moisture or ventilation problems (be sure to consult a competent engineer).
• Add insulation to masonry walls, when possible.
• Make sure all doors have effective weatherstripping. Bulb and brush weatherstripping is compatible with most historic buildings.

Lighting

• For private offices, service rooms, and restrooms, install occupancy sensor light switches (with manual override).
• For open office areas, provide low level overhead lighting and task lighting at each desk that can be controlled by the occupant, preferably including an occupancy sensor switch.
• Rewire, rather than replace, historic fixtures that are important to the appearance of the building. Replace incandescent bulbs with LEDs where it won’t change the appearance of the fixture.
• See the Lighting section of Incrementally Greener—Improving sustainability Over Time Through Operations and Maintenance, Shedding Watts While Shedding Light, and the Lighting Handbook and Retrofit Guide for other methods of improving the energy efficiency of lighting, but keep in mind that changes must be compatible with historic resource.

Hot Water

• Make sure all hot water pipes are wrapped with insulation.
• Make sure the temperature setting for the water heater is high enough but no higher than necessary to keep the water in the tank above 140 degrees Fahrenheit, provide 140 degree Fahrenheit water for dishwashing, and provide at least 122 degrees Fahrenheit water at each hot water faucet, to prevent Legionellosis. Consider installing a controller on the water heater to turn it down to the minimum needed to maintain 140 degrees Fahrenheit in the tank during periods when nobody needs hot water. If hot water is needed in a distant part of the building, consider using a tankless water heater there.

Miscellaneous

• Install Vending Misers on all vending machines and consider disconnecting the lights in the doors of the machines if the area is well-lit.
• Use the lightest color flooring materials and wall and ceiling paint colors that are historically appropriate, to reduce the amount of electric lighting needed in each room.

On-Site Renewable Energy

• Consider adding on-site renewable energy such as solar, wind, geothermal, low-impact hydro, biomass, and bio-gas where life cycle cost effective and installation can be accomplished without damaging the historic resource.

Durability and Waste Reduction

• Use salvaged historic materials for restoration of lighting, hardware, and other specialty items, if available locally or from the renovation project.
• Choose durable, sustainable, renewable natural materials where available and compatible with the historic resource, to conserve resources in the long term.
• Set up a recycling center including bins for items that can be recycled locally.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

• Use low volatile organic compounds (VOC) products, finishes and materials when repainting, replacing, and cleaning.
• Choose the least toxic cleaning products that perform well.
• See the Facilities Toolbox page on healthy indoor environments for more air quality strategies.

Landscaping

• Where compatible with the historic landscape, protect and restore open space and wildlife habitat that's part of the site. To save on lawnmower time, irrigation costs, and chemical fertilizers and pesticides, use water-wise landscape design (Xeriscape). Retain and plant native and drought-resistant species for landscaping.
• Preserve existing trees and plant new trees to provide shade for buildings, pavement, and pedestrian areas. Choose deciduous trees for the south sides of buildings in hot summer/cold winter climates to allow the sun to warm the building in the winter while limiting heat gain during the summer. Where they can be installed without adversely impacting the historic structure, use shade structures (not shade trees) in desert areas. In areas prone to wildfires, trees and shrubs should be a safe distance from structures (firewise).
• Manage storm water with on-site aquifer replenishment (rain gardens, porous pavement, etc.) where possible. If the building roof is flat or nearly flat, consider adding a green roof

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