From Sustainable To Net Zero
How to successfully score grant funding for parks and rec projects
By Lois Vitt Sale
Photos: Kmiecik Imagery
Evolving design strategies and technologies have moved the needle on net-zero energy (NZE) buildings that produce as much energy on-site as they consume and are paving the way for advancing a more sustainable future. However, building to net-zero energy standards still comes at a premium. The renewable systems, higher-performing building envelope, and mechanical and solar infrastructures that work together to create the net-zero performance—as well as the necessary submetering that helps owners understand and evaluate energy usage—all add to a project’s bottom line.
Because of these higher costs, many parks and recreation districts often settle for building sustainable projects that don’t meet net-zero energy performance. However, grants can make all the difference between a net-zero project and a sustainable one and, fortunately, a number of nonprofits and governmental organizations are committed to providing financial support to America’s parks and recreation projects to ensure they are responsible consumers of natural resources and to address issues of climate change.
The Advantage Of Grant Funding
Grants are an ideal vehicle to help parks and recreation districts cover the incremental costs of building to net-zero standards because the costs never need to be paid back. Since many local governments can’t afford to build net zero otherwise, grants help move the needle from a sustainable project to net zero, thereby allowing their environmental stewardship to have even more of an impact.
While many architecture firms can assist local governments to secure grant funding, it’s essential to involve your architect as early as possible in the design process. At Wight, we’ve even developed parallel designs for a parks and recreation project—one net zero and one not. This strategy allows the entitlement process to proceed while the grant application is pending. In one case, the grant application was ultimately approved, but had it not been, we would have proceeded with the non-net-zero construction design since the local government would not have been able to afford the additional cost of net zero without the grant.
How To Score A Grant
One of the most successful approaches to secure grant funding is to partner with an architect experienced in designing and building net-zero projects. The right architect can help expose the clients to potential sources of funding by demonstrating that the project is capable of achieving net-zero energy. At Wight & Company, we have had three clients—including two parks and recreation districts—who applied and secured net-zero construction grants with our assistance.
There are three steps in the grant process, which can take up to six months. First, a letter of interest is prepared and, if the foundation or grant-lending institution believes you are a solid candidate, you are then invited to present a pre-proposal. If that is satisfactory, you are then allowed to submit the grant application. It’s a complicated process, but one that can be integrated into the normal cadence of project development.
To start a grant search, an architect might first suggest examining the opportunities in your own state. The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation (ICECF), for example, is an independent group with a $225-million endowment provided by Commonwealth Edison. The Foundation’s Net Zero Energy Building Program awards grants of up to $2 million to new construction or to retrofit projects by park districts in Illinois that achieve net-zero status over the course of a year. The program requires buildings to, at a minimum, offset all of their energy consumption with on-site generation from renewable resources.
The Green Mountain Energy Sun Club empowers local communities in seven states with sustainability solutions and is also a source of grant funding, as is the U.S. Department of the Interior. Other sources of grant funding can be found in the DSIRE database, an online list of incentives and policies that support renewable energy and energy efficiency in the United States, which is searchable by state.
Case Studies
In May 2019, Wight & Company announced the completion of the Prairie Activity and Recreation Center for the Plainfield (Ill.) Park District. Designed as a net-zero facility, the 37,000-square-foot building is projected to be the first building of its kind to achieve the Passive House Institute’s PHIUS+ and Source Zero certifications. The two-story building was funded by a $1-million ICECF grant, which offset the additional expenses associated with the design and construction required to achieve net-zero status. Energy is generated via a 28,600-square-foot array of solar panels. On days when the panels are unable to produce power at full capacity, the building draws from the energy grid, but that draw is offset by the surplus power the building’s solar panels provide to the grid on sunny days. Due to the highly insulating building envelope, the facility uses minimal energy for heating and cooling while keeping the indoor temperature consistent.
Subsequently, in September 2019, we helped the Northbrook Park District in Northbrook, Ill., secure a $1.78-million grant—also from the ICECF—that will enable its new Activity Center to achieve net-zero status. The 44,200-square-foot project, slated for completion in early 2021, was designed by Wight to achieve NZE through its use of rooftop solar panel, HVAC systems and mechanical equipment with the highest efficiency ratings, increased insulation values in the walls and roof, high-performing windows, LED lighting, and occupancy sensors. The building is expected to receive both PHIUS+ and Source Zero certifications.
Once the grant is approved, its funding is paid out in three increments—30 percent at the start of construction, 30 percent at occupancy, and the final 40 percent once the project has proved it is net-zero energy by operating for 12 consecutive months, consuming not more energy than it generates through its on-site renewable resources. This last 40 percent is the hardest money to earn. All of the parties to the project—the designers, contractors, equipment suppliers, and owner occupier--have to work together to ensure the building runs as it was designed.
Grant Funding Is Just The Beginning
Securing a grant and completing the building are just the beginning stages of a continuing process to achieve net zero. It’s a process that requires ongoing vigilance to get to the net-zero energy target.
According to the New Buildings Institute, which maintains a database of net-zero buildings in North America, there are two types of zero-energy projects: emerging (projects that are designed to attain zero energy but haven’t yet performed at that level for a full year) and verified (projects that produce more renewable energy than the total energy used over the course of a year). Net-zero projects require constant monitoring, and only those that comply with the standards and demonstrate they are generating at least as much power as they are consuming will become verified projects.
Parks and recreation districts play an integral part in a community’s environmental stewardship, helping to conserve land and water. Building to net-zero standards is one way that districts can prepare for the future, particularly as more local governments establish clean-energy goals. Thanks to the grant programs available today, parks and recreation districts are able to turn sustainable projects into net-zero projects.
Lois Vitt Sale is senior vice president and chief sustainability officer of Wight & Company, an integrated design and delivery firm based in Chicago, where she leads the firm’s sustainable-design initiatives. Reach her at lvittsale@wightco.com.