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(I'm Dreaming of a) Green Christmas

Dec. 23, 2015
For those of you who read my Christmas postings the last two years, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is I’m not spoiling any long Christmas poems or songs this year; the bad news is I’m ruining a short song!

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For those of you who read my Christmas postings the last two years (“The Night Before Christmas (South Florida Version),” “The 12 Days of Christmas (HVAC Version)”), I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is I’m not spoiling any long Christmas poems or songs this year; the bad news is I’m ruining a short song!

So, with sincere apologies to Irving Berlin and Bing Crosby—and the more than 150 million folks who have bought a copy of this holiday classic—here’s “Green Christmas”:

I’m dreaming of a green Christmas

Unlike the ones we’ve had before

Where the carbon’s lower and shopping’s slower

As we walk or bike to the store

I’m dreaming of a green Christmas

With every Btu we clean

Make lower energy use routine

And may all your Christmases be green

I’m dreaming of a green Christmas

Let’s do our part for climate change

Think recycle and be more resourceful

Let’s think green as we arrange

I’m dreaming of a green Christmas

With every Btu we clean

Make lower energy use routine

And may all your Christmases be green

Here’s some real holiday cheer: Last week, Congress reauthorized the Energy Efficient Commercial Building tax deduction included in Internal Revenue Code §179D and commonly referred to simply as 179D. It has been extended retroactively to Jan. 1, 2015, and is effective through Dec. 31, 2016. The most significant change to the provisions was the update of referenced ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, from the 2001 version to the 2007 version for projects completed in 2016. This has been an important issue for me (my first post in June 2013 was on this topic, and I’ve posted about it several times since), so it was an early Christmas present.

Best wishes to all of you for a merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!

About the Author

Larry Clark

A member of HPAC Engineering’s Editorial Advisory Board, Lawrence (Larry) Clark, QCxP, GGP, LEED AP+, is principal of Sustainable Performance Solutions LLC, a South Florida-based engineering firm focused on energy and sustainability consulting. He has more than two dozen published articles on HVAC- and energy-related topics to his credit and frequently lectures on green-building best practices, central-energy-plant optimization, and demand-controlled ventilation.