Solutions for sustainable building programs and certifications

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a widely used green-building rating system. LEED provides a framework for healthy, efficient, carbon-saving and cost-saving green buildings.

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the LEED certification process evaluates projects and issues credits based on criteria including carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, materials, health and indoor environmental quality, resulting in a LEED classification level of Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum.

According to the USGBC, LEED certification provides a range of benefits:
 

• Economic – Gaining a competitive edge; attracting tenants; managing performance; helping meet environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals
  
  
• Health – Employee and occupant happiness; creating healthier spaces; improving indoor environmental quality; reducing pollution
  
  
• Environmental – Reducing energy use and carbon emissions; conserving water; reducing waste; reducing vehicle use; encouraging use of green materials; implementing sustainable strategies

https://www.usgbc.org/leed

Zero net energy (ZNE) programs, also known as zero energy or net zero energy programs, are for buildings designed to produce as much energy through renewable sources as they use over the course of a specified time period. Over time, ZNE construction techniques ideally can reduce both energy use costs and net emissions to near zero.

Achieving ZNE requires a complex mix of sustainable building technologies and techniques, renewable energy sources, and energy use planning.

https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/zero-energy-buildings-resource-hub

https://gettingtozeroforum.org/

https://www.consumersenergy.com/-/media/CE/Documents/Energy%20Efficiency/business/zne-zero-net-energy-guidebook.ashx

The Passive House standard is used primarily in residential single-family and multifamily projects to yield energy efficiency benefits originating from passive design strategies and high-performance installation techniques. The standard is built on a set of five principles that ensure stable temperatures, comfortable indoor air, reduction of noise and minimal energy use:
 

1. No thermal bridging – This means making sure walls, floors and roofs are well-insulated, with no gaps. This reduces the need for heating or cooling to achieve a comfortable temperature.
   
   
2. High-quality insulation – The quality of the insulation is key to the success of the building design. The insulation serves to minimize the heat exchange with the outside environment Passive House buildings employ high-quality insulation like stone wool. 
   
   
3. Superior windows – To ensure that the entire building envelope is well-insulated, it is important to use quality windows with low thermal conductivity.
   
   
4. Airtight construction – There should be no uncontrolled airflow between the internal and external environment. 
   
   
5. Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery – All this effort to insulate the building is coupled with high-quality ventilation that recovers heat from the used air and transfers it to the fresh air coming in. This ensures minimal loss of energy and a good indoor air quality.

Learn more about this standard by visiting the Passive House Institute of the U.S. or the Passive House Network.

The first residential green building standard to receive approval from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the ICC 700 National Green Building Standard® (NGBS) has been implemented widely in recent years. The standard provides architects, builders and developers with a flexible above-code program to design and construct homes and buildings that are sustainable, cost-effective and geographically appropriate.

NGBS provides four certification levels to meet market and regional needs, all of which require meeting minimum thresholds across all categories to ensure a well-balanced implementation: 
 

• Energy efficiency
• Water efficiency
• Resource efficiency
• Lot development
• Operation and maintenance
• Indoor environmental quality

https://www.ngbs.com/

The U.S. government’s ENERGY STAR program – commonly known for tax rebates for certified products independently certified to save energy, save money and protect the environment – also provides building certifications with potential tax deductions for builders and tax credits for commercial buildings. 

To be certified as ENERGY STAR, a building must meet strict energy performance standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Annual third-party verification is required for continued certification. A building must earn an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher; indicating performance exceeding that of at least 75 percent of similar buildings nationwide. 

https://www.energystar.gov/buildings/building_recognition/building_certification

BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) is a method of assessing, rating and certifying the sustainability of buildings.

Unlike many certifications, buildings can be assessed and certified by BREEAM during any stage of their life cycle, from design and construction through operation and occupancy. BREEAM considers factors in multiple categories, including ecology, energy and water use, internal environment (health and well-being), management processes, materials, pollution, transport, and waste.

https://bregroup.com/products/breeam/

The Living Building Challenge (LBC) focuses on place, water, energy, materials, equity, beauty, and health and happiness as its seven performance areas. 

Living buildings:
 

• Are regenerative buildings that connect occupants to light, air, food, nature and community
  
  
• Maintain self-sufficiency and remain within the resource limits of their site
  
  
• Create a positive impact on the human and natural systems that interact with them

https://living-future.org/lbc/

UL products that have achieved GREENGUARD Certification – including building materials –meet some of the world’s most rigorous third-party chemical emissions standards. GREENGUARD Certification criteria have been the basis for the LEED credit for low-emitting furniture since 2002.

https://www.ul.com/resources/ul-greenguard-certification-program

The Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) Home Energy Rating System
(HERS) Index is a nationally recognized system for inspecting and calculating the
energy performance and energy efficiency of a home. Assessed by comparing
against a “reference home,” HERS scores are relative to the size, shape and type of
house, with low numbers indicating more energy-efficient homes. A typical home
built to 2006 energy efficiency standards scores 100 on the RESNET HERS Index.

https://www.hersindex.com/hers-index/what-is-the-hers-index/