Greening Your Existing Building
Constructing and operating buildings uses an enormous amount of energy, water, and materials; and creates large quantities of waste. Green building design (also known as sustainable design) concepts were established to help create new buildings that were integrated to lower resource usage, reduce waste, and improve the indoor environment. The LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) rating system was successfully established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) as a standard for developing sustainable new buildings.
LEED-EB Certification for Existing Buildings
The number of existing commercial and public buildings far outweighs the number of new building projects, and these existing buildings use far more energy and create more waste. Many commercial and institutional building owners have established environmental policies, such as recycling programs and energy management systems, in an effort to save money and improve worker health and safety, but how do existing building owners measure the environmental performance of their building from an overall perspective?
In 2004, the Green Building Council developed the Green Building Rating System for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB). This system uses sustainable performance standards to rate existing buildings in terms of their energy efficiency and environmental performance. At the same time, it provides guidelines for measuring and documenting the environmental fitness of a facility and suggests procedures and technologies for improving sustainability and performance.
The Established Goals and Objectives of LEED-EB
The LEED-EB system addresses building operations, maintenance, and system retrofits. In essence, the system establishes goals and objectives, along with suggested strategies and technologies in the following areas:
- Exterior Environment - Institute programs and practices that encourage sustainable site development and reduce the impact on the surrounding environment. These can include sedimentation and erosion control, alternative transportation strategies, exterior maintenance, reduced site disturbance, storm water management, and light pollution policies.
- Energy and Atmosphere - Achieve high levels of energy efficiency and system performance, establish programs for renewable and alternative energy use, and support ozone protection protocols through ozone depletion strategies in refrigerants and other areas.
- Water Efficiency - Implement strategies to reduce potable water use, and limit or eliminate water pollution discharge. Some suggested technologies and practices include automatic water control systems, high-efficiency irrigation technology, and on-site wastewater treatment and reuse systems.
- Material Usage and Waste Management - Reduce overall materials use and waste disposal through recycling programs, reuse strategies, and sustainable purchasing programs.
- Indoor Environmental Quality - Establish minimum indoor environmental quality performance to contribute to the health and well being of building occupants. These include smoking prohibition, asbestos and PCB management programs, increasing outdoor air ventilation, and establishing and implementing an indoor air-quality management program.
Buildings are rated on a point system in six different categories. A total of 85 points is possible. The point breakdown in each category is as follows:
- Energy and Atmosphere (23)
- Indoor Environmental Quality (22)
- Materials and Resources (16)
- Sustainable Sites (14)
- Water Efficiency (5)
- Innovation in Operations and Upgrades (5)
Buildings receive certification on four different levels: basic certification, silver, gold, and the highest rating-platinum. For complete details, see the Green Building Rating System for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) from the U.S. Green Building Council. The following are benefits of greening existing buildings:
- Reduced Building Operating Costs - Energy and water efficiency initiatives will increase the bottom line by lowering consumption and reducing utility bills.
- Increased Efficiencies - Material recycling and reuse programs, along with waste disposal management, help to lower costs and increase productivity.
- Increased Worker Comfort and Productivity - Improved indoor air quality and enhanced exterior environments will contribute to occupant health, safety, and comfort, and help employees to be more productive.
- Improved Building Maintenance - Collecting and analyzing building performance data from an overall perspective will often uncover opportunities to improve building maintenance procedures and reduce repair costs.
- Enhanced Public Relations - Improved efficiencies and increased environmental performance can be publicized to improve market position and lead to better relations with government regulators and the community in general.
LEED-EB Case Study
A number of prominent buildings have already received LEED-EB certification. Some of these include the following facilities:
- National Geographic Headquarters
- Thomas Properties Group/California EPA Building
- Johnson/Diversey Global Headquarters
- Johnson Controls Brengel Technology Center
- King County King Street Center
An excellent example of the green building rating system in action is the Thomas Properties Group EPA Headquarters in Sacramento, California. The facility is a 950,000 square foot office building located in the downtown area. According to the USGBC, the building received a platinum LEED-EB rating by incorporating the following measures:
- Alternative Transportation - Easy access to bus lines or light rail, adequate bicycle storage facilities, and 24 charging stations for alternative fuel vehicles.
- Water Use Reduction - High-efficiency fixtures, waterless urinals, and other measures help to reduce water use to 20% below required levels.
- Renewable Energy - 736 photovoltaic panels generate solar energy that is delivered to the utility grid.
- Recycling - 210 recycling bins are located throughout the facility and a 50% recycling waste stream was achieved.
- Green Cleaning - Uses cleaning products that have received the Golden Seal Charter Team certification from the State of California.
The project cost an estimated $1.2 million dollars with an annual net savings of $610,000, allowing for a simple return on investment in less than two years.
Photo by Wonderlane