August 8, 2010

There is growing interest in the USGBC’s LEED program. Though criticized, this is an accepted, concrete (no pun intended) program that defines “green” building. Some companies who are cool to climate change (another pun, there!) or sustainability programs have embraced LEED for several reasons. First, it requires outside body certification. One accumulates points until a desired level is reached. If improvements implemented meet USGBC approval, then the building is LEED-certified, no ifs, ands, buts, or accusations of greenwashing. LEED is also called “high performing” building standards for good reason. LEED-certified buildings have lower costs, healthier indoor air, and other advantages with real financial benefits over non-LEED buildings.

So why isn’t everyone doing it? Well, initial investment costs turn firms off, although my recent blog shows that the gap between standard and “green” alternatives is narrowing, plus growing government incentive programs. The other problem is the perception that it is easier to design “green” features into a new building than to make “green” an existing building. While usually true, the reality is that in this economy there will be an excess of available existing buildings, and it makes greater economic sense to re-use them.

Opportunities to improve performance exist. Most pre-existing buildings are less than ideal because they were designed before LEED existed and developers often did not look to include the latest knowledge concerning lighting, energy efficiency, air quality, etc. LEED has a specific standard for Existing Buildings (“EBOM”). Converting an existing building to meet LEED-EBOM standards involves not only its physical structure and operating systems, but also on-going, day-to-day operating procedures and recordkeeping.

So how do you start? Do a “gaps” analysis of your existing building. It’s possible that your building already meets LEED-EBOM standards with no or few changes. If so, you can quickly certify and reap LEED benefits soon. A good gaps analysis will tell you how many LEED-EBOM points you probably already have, how far away you are from achieving a LEED level (Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum), and the most cost-effective steps (those with best ROI) to take to gain the points needed to reach the desired LEED level. A good gaps analysis would present you with extra options to allow you to choose which options you would like to pursue or disregard and still meet the LEED standard.

A “gaps” analysis is a good cost-effective method to determine where your existing building currently stands in terms of LEED and high performance, and gives you an effective road map of options to choose from to improve building performance to your desired level.

Marc Karell, President of Climate Change & Environmental Services, knows all about gaps analyses. He managed the gaps analysis of a “little” project, the greening of the design of the refurbishment of United Nations Headquarters in New York City. He led the team that suggested about 20 options to improve performance; the UN included nearly all of them.