eVOL is changing the way owners certify their building portfolios By Lisa Stanley

Lisa Stanley is Director of Sustainable Facilities at CTG Energetics. She is a former property manager for Cushman & Wakefield. Lisa is based in CTG’s Denver office.

Since the beginning of the LEED EB Rating System, there have always been challenges for building owners and property managers wishing to achieve certification for their buildings: LEED EB seems cost-prohibitive on a per-building basis. Which buildings out of the many in my portfolio should I choose? There should be a way to bundle certain tasks together, and combine the efforts of individual buildings.

USGBC actively listens to feedback and is constantly improving their rating systems and programs. As a result of this improvement process, USGBC developed, tested, and recently launched the new LEED Volume Program, with tracks for both Design & Construction and Operations and Maintenance.

CTG has been closely following the development of the LEED Volume Program, especially the Operations and Maintenance track. We were the first company to successfully support submitting (and achieving) certification under the LEED EB Volume Pilot Program – an 18 building portfolio for a major property management firm. And in a current assignment with the U.S. General Services Administration, Public Building Service we were also the first to support submittal of the prototype to USGBC under the newly launched official LEED Volume Certification Process for Existing Buildings. The program we have developed to facilitate Volume Certification for LEED EB O+M is called eVOL™.

>> View Screenshots from the eVOL Program

A Game Changer
Speaking from the perspective of a former property manager, I can say that every so often a new tool or program is introduced which has the power to fundamentally change the way we work with commercial buildings – I call these "game changers." eVOL falls into this category. While many owners are either pursuing or would like to pursue a sustainable facilities program, they run into any number of roadblocks – the most common being: the per-building expense is too high, the logistics are too difficult to manage for an entire portfolio, and challenges of how to make the program long lasting, and not just an event that will fade. eVOL removes many of the barriers and complexities associated with pursuing a sustainable facilities program, and can be deployed for a fraction of the cost of traditional per-building programs.

USGBC conceived the Volume Certification Program to address the issues and drawbacks of a pursuing LEED certification on a building-by-building basis. CTG and our team have taken the backbone and methodology of the Volume Certification Program and built it into a user-friendly and web-enabled interface that is customizable to any number of parameters and systems a client might need. eVOL facilitates building assessments to help determine which buildings should be prioritized for certification, it allows owners to benchmark and compare performance of all buildings, either as a portfolio or as a discrete group, and it enables data management, documentation, and submittal via LEED Automation to USGBC.

Robust Capability
Put simply, eVOL was made to easily facilitate cost-effective greening of large building portfolios. The current version of the program was designed to support GSA in an effort to green their portfolio which consists of more than 9,200 buildings and more than 400 million square feet of development. Using eVOL, CTG and GSA are currently screening 1,000 buildings to find the best candidates to include in the initial phases of the program. More than 50 buildings have been selected for the first phase of GSA's volume certification program, and at least 200 will participate in the second phase.

Cost Savings
Because the USGBC Volume Certification Program is designed to work for portfolios of 25 or more buildings, there are inherent cost efficiencies which can be achieved by certifying multiple buildings at once. At CTG, we're estimating our clients will save as much as 70% on the per-building cost of achieving LEED EB certification by pursuing a portfolio approach. When it comes to customizing and deploying eVOL, the good news for future clients is that the program has already been developed, deployed, and tested, meaning you greatly benefit by leveraging technology which already exists. All you pay for is customization, program development, training, and submittal to USGBC.

If you're interested in learning more about eVOL, how the pricing structure works, or to schedule a demo, please give me a call. I'm based out of CTG's Denver office: 303-573-0070.

Thanks,



-Lisa



Contact: ctg@ctgenergetics.com

Changes Coming to ENERGY STAR By Jenna Lipscomb

Jenna Lipscomb is a Green Building Consultant with CTG Energetics. She specializes in sustainability for existing buildings, and has managed a variety of LEED EB O&M, LEED CI, and Retro-Commissioning Projects. Jenna is based in CTG’s Denver office.

I wanted to alert you of some recent Energy Star changes that may affect your building and Portfolio Manager account. If you only have time for the highlights, here they are:

• As of June, 2010 it is no longer permissible to subtract from building totals the square footage and metered energy consumption of data centers or server closets.


• Data Center Space Type should be used in place of subtracting data center SF and energy consumption


• Data center energy consumption data should ONLY include IT load, not cooling, lighting, etc. This might require a meter configuration change


• Consumption estimate function can be used until June 2012 if meters are not installed


• Data center meters required as of June 2012 in order to use the "Data Center" space type.

Details:

In June of 2010, the EPA reevaluated the way Data Centers should be classified and how their energy consumption should be reported. It is now no longer permissible to subtract the square footage and the metered energy consumption of the data centers out of the total building square footage and total building energy consumption. Data centers must be broken out into a 'data center' space type.

Data centers are now defined as "spaces specifically designed and equipped to meet the needs of high density computing equipment such as server racks used for data processing and storage. Typically these facilities require dedicated uninterruptible power supplies and cooling systems." This space type no longer includes server closets and computer training rooms. If there is any square footage in your portfolio previously defined as data center, please reevaluate what amount meets the new definition of data center. All other spaces (hot spots, data closets, computer rooms, etc) that do not meet this definition should be added back to the office space type. The energy being sub-metered from such non-data center spaces cannot be used (deducted) in Portfolio Manager.

By June 2012, the spaces meeting the definition of data center must to be sub metered in order to take credit for having a data center. The requirements for sub metering have also changed. It is no longer permissible to meter the entire disproportionate load on the data center (IT, cooling, lighting, etc). EPA now requires that only the IT load be measured and reported. This will most likely require a change to your metering configuration to accommodate this data collection.

At CTG we recently investigated the reasons for this seemingly strange requirement. We learned that the EPA has spent years collecting data on the energy consumption of data centers of various sizes and their cooling and lighting loads required to sustain the energy intense operation. As such, the EPA built the data center space type algorithm off of the IT load, such that an appropriate cooling load is allocated based on the IT consumption. In this way, the EPA is setting a baseline for the non-IT disproportionate power that adjusts based on the IT load the data center is carrying. The result is a standardized method of measuring the performance of data centers against each other, and incentivizes data centers to be run more efficiency (sizing cooling loads appropriately rather than just adding more cooling units when servers get added).

What this means for you

We've been working with our clients to determine whether metering configuration changes are required. Given that the 2-year window the EPA has allowed for metering changes is set to expire in June 2012, we are encouraging clients to make changes as soon as possible. After June 2012 you will no longer be able to use an 'estimate' function within the data center space type, and metered data will be required. If you install sub-meters by June, you'll be able to collect and report on a year's worth of accurate data.

... If you decide to wait

If you decide to wait and metered data is still unavailable as of June 2012, your data center square footage cannot be defined as "data center" and must be added back into the “office space” type. Needless to say, this will lower the building score and will not be an accurate reflection of your building performance. A little bit of work now will position you for an easy transition next June, and will help you maintain your ENERGY STAR rating.

What to do now

I recommend reviewing additional literature from the EPA that discusses these changes in greater detail – we've posted the document here.

If you have any further questions regarding these changes and how they affect your specific Portfolio Manager account, I'm happy to answer any questions you have. I can be reached in CTG's Denver office at 303-573-0070.

Thanks,

-Jenna

Contact: ctg@ctgenergetics.com

Sustainability & Healthcare

In recent months, CTG has noticed steadily rising growth in the demand for sustainability services in the Healthcare sector, and in response the firm is adding capacity to support new projects. CTG has hired new staff to provide support for a growing portfolio of healthcare assignments, and we are now better positioned to provide healthcare clients with a broad range of services, including:

• sustainability consulting


• energy master planning


• green operations and maintenance


• commissioning


• climate change planning


• green building certification support

CTG is currently engaged in several major healthcare and research laboratory projects, and this experience has provided the firm with deep insight into the industry. We are aware that hospital and clinic owners and operators are under increasing pressure to control costs and develop competitive advantages. Many are embracing sustainability as a way to build and maintain more efficient facilities. Industry-wide efforts, such as the development of the Green Guide for Health Care and the adaptation of the LEED rating system from the US Green Building Council to include a new LEED for Healthcare system, have helped direct the focus towards green alternatives.

Many healthcare providers are pursuing sustainability programs because government requirements are growing, and pursuing sustainability is viewed as an important risk management strategy. Some are interested in the cost savings realized through increased efficiency and lower utility bills. Still others view it as a logical extension of their core missions – green buildings are inherently healthier than their counterparts, so they recognize the value of treating patients in a sustainable facility.

As part of the services expansion, we are reaching out to industry contacts, setting up strategy sessions, hosting sustainability workshops, and providing gap assessment reports to help clients determine the appropriate path to sustainability. We are also eagerly anticipating the official launch of the LEED for Healthcare Rating System, and stand ready to help clients evaluate options for sustainability and pursue certification. If you have any questions about CTG’s expansion in the Healthcare sector, please feel free to contact us at 949-790-0010.

Contact: ctg@ctgenergetics.com

LEED for Existing Buildings – We ALL Win By Lisa Stanley

Sustainable facilities. LEED EB. LEED Certified buildings. Greening operations practices. Why? Are you chasing a plaque? Competing with your peers? Another feather in your cap? Ego of the real estate owner? It’s not all about ego – but that does play a part. The good news – we are working with a win-win-win! The building owner, property manager, leasing agents and tenants crave the status of being associated with a LEED certified building. The result is that they are making changes to their day-to-day operations.

Even if getting a plaque is somewhat about ego, competition and prestige, that’s fine – chances are you also have a genuine interest in making a difference in the world. As a matter of fact, most people do want to have a positive impact on our environment and satisfy that ego. What I find so incredibly gratifying is supporting building teams as a green building consultant in this win-win-win concept. We all win when an office building chooses to invest in running a LEED EB certified facility: the building ownership and management team wins by showing that they rank among the best of the best and they get to put a “real” feather in their cap. The building owner wins because they will attract and retain more tenants at a higher rate. This clearly supports the owner’s goal in running the building as an investment by improving its value. The tenants also win – they reap the benefits of a comfortable and healthy workplace, and can promote the fact that they lease office space in a LEED certified “green” office building. And last, but most certainly not least, the environment wins.

We must focus on making the operations of our existing buildings more efficient and less toxic, and the good news is that Class A office buildings are getting on board. One by one they are reducing the amount of gas, electricity, and water consumed on site. They are reducing the amount of waste that hits the landfill, and they are reducing the amount of toxic chemicals on-site.

Simple low cost changes made to aerators, operating schedules, set points, and calibration plans are making a difference. As building systems reach the end of their useful life, more efficient systems are selected by building operating teams. Rather than routinely using the most toxic pest control chemicals once a month (because that is the way it was always done) buildings are taking more time to inspect and prevent pests in the first place.

Green cleaning is now common practice; two years ago a vendor thought I was crazy when I told them they had to use microfiber cleaning cloths rather than paper towels. Now it is common practice to not only see microfiber – but four colors: blue for glass, green for general cleaning, red for toilets & urinals in restrooms, and yellow for general restrooms cleaning. This is just one example of sweeping changes being made to the operations and maintenance practices in office buildings.

Little by little, the bar is being raised – and all are rising to the occasion. Here is to a win, win, win – let’s get those plaques on the walls!

-Lisa

Lisa Stanley is a Director with CTG Energetics. She leads LEED-EB certification efforts for portfolio and single-building projects for CTG. She is a former property manager for Cushman & Wakefield. Lisa is based in CTG’s Denver office.

ctg@ctgenergetics.com

Lessons from the field: LEED for Existing Buildings Volume Certification By Lisa Stanley

As the U.S. Green Building Council prepares to officially launch their Portfolio Program, I wanted to share some thoughts from my experience helping Cushman and Wakefield achieve 18 facility certifications under the pilot of the Portfolio Program.

The goal of the program as it relates to existing buildings is to scale the implementation of sustainable operations and maintenance practices so that multiple buildings within a company’s portfolio can pursue LEED certification in a streamlined and cost-effective way, while at the same time maintaining the rigor of the LEED rating system.

Cushman and Wakefield was one of 40 companies to participate in the USGBC Pilot Program for portfolio certification. The Pilot was launched in November 2006, and C&W joined in February 2008. When the company joined, 20 properties under their management were selected – a portfolio representing multiple clients and millions of square feet of commercial real estate.

Opportunities:
The opportunities posed by volume certification are obvious:

• implement green policies company-wide,


• impact a broad spectrum of facilities at once,


• influence market trends for commercial real estate,


• provide notable recognition for companies that embrace sustainability, and


• pave the way for more companies and institutions to follow.

One of the greatest benefits to companies pursuing portfolio certification is the ability to take advantage of the opportunity to adopt practices and processes that will provide continuous and persistent savings. At CTG, we always stress the fact that sustainability is an ongoing process, not a one-time event.

By implementing portfolio-wide green changes, organizations can position themselves to reap all the benefits of sustainable operations and maintenance (lower operating costs, increased asset value, prolonged equipment life, improved worker productivity, etc.) while also making the process for LEED re-certification much simpler and less expensive. In fact, we’ve found that facilities that pursue an ongoing certification maintenance program can save more than 40% in certification and consulting fees compared to pursuing certification as a one-time event.

Challenges:
Despite the obvious benefits of pursuing portfolio LEED certification, there are numerous obstacles to overcome. As a former portfolio manager for Cushman and Wakefield, I’m very familiar with some of the biggest challenges:

• How do you facilitate standardized data capture across a nationwide (or worldwide) portfolio of buildings?


• What is the best way to account for regional differences in operations and maintenance procedures (such as landscaping and waste management)


• How can local incentives (such as tax breaks and utility rebates) effectively be applied to select buildings within a portfolio?

What we learned:
We knew that in order to enable a successful large-scale LEED EB O&M program we would have to develop a variety of tools, resources, and training programs to assist C&W. Indeed, one of the points of participating in the Pilot program is to identify and solve challenges posed by applying a rating system which has traditionally been based on single-building implementation to a nationwide, multiple-building certification effort.

One of the cornerstones of successfully rolling out volume LEED certification is a robust comprehensive training program. Because multiple buildings adopt changes all at the same time each and every team member at the building level must be trained to understand and implement the portion of the sustainable program that they are responsible for maintaining.
Each policy, procedure, and tracking tool – at a minimum – must be rolled out and integrated into the building operating team’s day-to-day structure.

In addition to providing staff training, CTG delivered the following tools:

• Microsoft Excel-based applications for building-level credit compliance


• Documentation tracking tools


• Summary reporting for performance metrics


• Customized procedures manual


• Portfolio-level submittal package (including a portfolio report card, and summaries of portfolio performance by credit)

Results
Earlier this month, we received word from the USGBC that 18 C&W properties received final certification, including 4 Platinum and 7 Gold rated facilities. This accomplishment is the first of its kind for the Portfolio Program under the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance rating system.

Looking forward
Based on our experience, the Portfolio Program was an extremely positive experience which represents a huge step forward in the practice of greening existing buildings. As the Portfolio Program opens to the public in an official launch this year we expect to see more companies with a portfolio of buildings begin to pursue volume certification strategies as opposed to limited one-off pursuits.

For any company considering portfolio certification, there are a few questions you should start off asking. Who from your staff is dedicated to supporting the program and how much time do they have to do so? How much money are you willing to invest in the tools and training programs required for your building teams?

We are excited about the official launch of this program, and interested to see how it is adopted by the market. If the early data is an indicator, we can expect to see more firms – particularly companies with large portfolios of Class A office space – pursuing volume certification and portfolio-wide sustainability programs.

-Lisa

Lisa Stanley is a Director with CTG Energetics based in CTG’s Denver office. She is a former Portfolio Manager with Cushman & Wakefield.
ctg@ctgenergetics.com

Energy Reporting Requirement Raises the Bar for LEED Green Buildings by Greg Shank

The new energy performance reporting requirements for LEED green buildings set forth by the U.S. Green Building Council has sparked a variety of reactions: joy, fear, misinformation etc. It seems like a good time to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the new regulations and their importance to designing, constructing and operating more energy efficient buildings:

Q: Will my LEED building be decertified if it is an energy hog?
A: LEED buildings can be decertified for not reporting performance—not for poor performance. Being targeted as an energy hog is the most frequently repeated misunderstanding. The aim of the new rules is to evaluate buildings and learn from them. For example, what factors contribute to wasteful energy use that are not currently captured by LEED requirements? The aim is to improve performance by improving the USGBC LEED Rating System.

Q: Why is this data so important?
A: Collecting data is just the start. What counts is what you do with the data. Despite the tendency to immediately label a building as a high-performer or a hog, the greatest value is derived from reviewing daily, monthly, and annual trends to reveal performance slippage or anomalies. Some typical ways to benefit from the information:

• Pinpoint when filters need changing or controls need calibrating


• Discover HVAC equipment or lighting that is unnecessarily running 24/7


• Use building performance data from the months immediately following Commissioning to establish a baseline/benchmark


• Educate building occupants on the impacts of their behaviors

Q: How can my building perform poorly if it's achieved the LEED energy credits?
A: LEED-NC EA credit 1 requirements are based on a set of strict operating assumptions and rules to ensure apples-to-apples comparison of buildings across the country and throughout the world. The resultant energy model is effective at determining, on a percentage basis, the efficiency of your building's design compared to a minimally code-compliant building of the same size and shape. These models help designers compare, for example, the relative benefits of different glazing options versus lighting options, but they are not intended as predictors of actual energy use under real-world conditions.

Q: What about the Energy Star score as a predictor of energy performance?
A: Energy Star is a better measure of actual use, but it too has limitations. An Energy Star score of 90 means the building scores in the 90th percentile of a national database of buildings. That database of buildings is strong in some building types and regions of the country and weak in others. Furthermore, specialty building uses can dramatically skew results. For example, buildings with data centers need to take extra steps to properly account for the higher energy use intensity of those spaces to avoid skewing the building rating. Similarly, the presence of laboratory spaces in hi-tech or classroom buildings can dramatically influence the relevance of metrics that rely on "average" consumption data.

Q: How could my building end up way over code in losses?
A: There can be a number of reasons. The analysis has to include variables like equipment, occupancy and behavior. Some examples:

• Metered use in identical apartments can differ by 100%, 200% or more based on occupant behavior and computer/TV equipment


• Individual floors of a building with the same organization or tenant can vary by as much as three to one.


• An on-site laundry facility in a hotel or hospital can increase the total energy use by 25% or more.

Q: Isn't this energy performance requirement just another administrative boondoggle?
A: Of course only time can truly answer that question, but there are clear opportunities to make this a worthwhile program. One hope is that this information will serve as a critical resource for future technical committees as they work to continuously improve the LEED Rating Systems and strengthen the connections between credit requirements and dependable performance. A second opportunity lies simply in the coordinated creation of an intelligent data set with regional and building-type diversity. This type of information has not been readily available from utilities or government agencies. Information is power, especially in this internet age, and it is highly likely that third party consultants and organizations will be able to leverage this information in 5-10 years in powerful ways to inform the design of buildings, systems, and equipment.

-Greg
Greg Shank is the Vice President of CTG Energetics

Cutting costs in existing buildings By Jim Meacham

CTG is excited to be attending this year’s IFMA (International Facility Management Association) annual conference, the World Workplace 2009 Conference & Expo at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Along with my colleague Natalie Bodenhamer, CTG will be hosting a booth in the exhibitor hall, attending some of the presentations & workshops, and hosting a book signing at our booth.

Find out how industry leaders are cutting costs

One of the areas of focus at this year’s conference that we’re particularly excited about is related to cost cutting in existing buildings, and that it CAN be successfully accomplished - even in today’s challenging environment. In CTG’s practice of working with clients to green their facilities, the concept we emphasize is that sustainable changes can be implemented and significant savings realized at any point in the building lifecycle.

More and more owners and facility managers are embracing this concept. For every client and every building we work with there are always opportunities at any point in a building life-cycle and at a wide budget range to achieve a substantially more sustainable facility and yield significant savings to your organization’s bottom line.

The relationship between greening a facility and the resulting cost savings is an important focus. At CTG we’ve helped scores of clients develop programs that have generated surprising ROI, and part of our goal for attending the IFMA conference this year is to share these stories of savings and get more building owners and facility managers on board with a sustainable facilities program.

Some of the key points are:

• Sustainability can play a surprisingly positive role in scaling back operating costs.
• Choosing portfolio vs. single-building approach depends on your organization’s specific goals.
• Actual results are now available in recent case studies.
• Measures can be implemented at any point in a building lifecycle, and a wide range of budgets.
• Greening a building will prolong a building’s life, increase the asset’s value, and provide for a healthier, more comfortable working environment.

If you happen to be attending this year’s conference, please stop by and visit us - we’d like to hear about the challenges you’re facing. We’re at booth 1025, near the main IFMA booth in aisle 1000.

New book on cutting costs debuts at IFMA

At IFMA an important new handbook on smart cost-cutting makes its debut. Cut It Out, an exciting new approach to overall cost management is being released on October 7 and will make its debut at the IFMA World Workplace. According to the authors, "This handbook is designed for all those who face these management challenges in buildings today, it is the GPS for driving innovative cost reductions and it template for sustainable answers demanded by today’s environmentally minded occupants."

A book signing will be held by the authors at the CTG booth (1025) on Wednesday, 10/7 at 4 pm. Come and hear firsthand how leading organizations have structured, implemented and duplicated successful cost cutting projects and programs. Download a summary for the “Cut It Out” presentation series at: http://www.ctg-net.com

We look forward to seeing you at the conference. And if you’re not at the conference, feel free to give us a call or send an email anytime.

-Jim
Jim Meacham is Director of Advanced Energy Systems at CTG Energetics