LEED and Green Construction

The Need for More Green Buildings

Green Sustainable World picture

According to an article from Green Building Elements, “In developed countries, about 40 percent of total energy generation is consumed by the building sector”.  Developed countries have a much higher standard quality of living than undeveloped or developing countries do, so they require more energy in their homes and offices for heating, cooling, lighting and electrical appliances.  We all know that in turn, this naturally creates an increased consumption of fossil fuels and the accompanying environmental challenges and a need for even more green buildings.

According to Green Building Elements, “to combat this environmental challenge, we need a holistic, integrated approach towards reducing the energy consumption in buildings yet maintaining a high standard of building services, internal comfort and quality of living”.  This type of approach requires that every stage, from the brainstorming stage to the end building usage stage be focused on reducing net energy needs.  A legislative, economic and social structure has been developed “that will make the construction and buildings sector economically and environmentally sustainable” through this holistic approach.  Also, now that there are measurements and standards for “energy efficient buildings, net-zero-energy buildings, energy audits and energy certification of buildings”, it is possible to assess the energy performance of all buildings with the same specifications.

With the progress that has been made on making buildings green, it is now economically feasible for the majority of construction companies and property owners to make the “green” transition and this holistic approach will help raise awareness of this change.  Regardless of how energy efficient a building is, the “green concept is reality and it is here to stay”.

A&K Painting Company’s leadership with Green Painting, years completing LEED projects, along with our Green Advantage Certified team member provides our customers with increased value and benefit.

Sustainability in 2013 for CRE, Facilities and Construction

Green Building & Sustainability

The United States has become extremely interested in the sustainability of our future and public and private sectors are continuously progressing on policies that support these ecological goals.  “This is evident in the commercial sector.  More than 28 billion square feet- about 40 percent of the country’s inventory- now use ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to monitor and report energy performance. [Also], LEED-certified properties in the U.S. and 130 other countries topped the 2 billion-square-foot mark…and the U.S. Green Building Council notes that another 2 million square feet is certified each day ”, according to Dan Probst in an GreenBiz.com article.

Along with increasing LEED-certified properties and using the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, there are five specific trends that will help CRE and construction companies, facility managers, and property owners take “energy and sustainability to the next level”.  The first trend is a renewed interest in resilience.  Companies are “re-examining their ability to bounce back after disaster”.  By adopting strategies that focus on minimizing environmental threats, companies will require less money and time spent on recovery contingencies.

Next is energy measurement and disclosure.  Many cities in the U.S. are requiring large buildings to use Portfolio Manager, “the EPA’s energy management tool, to measure and report energy performance.”  This requirement doesn’t cost building owners anything, and utilization of the tool has shown a reduction in energy by an average of 7 percent.  New York City made their energy performance data public and this may be a requirement for all cities in the future.  This type of transparency will make CRE and construction companies and property owners highly motivated to increase their scores.

Third is smart grid investment.  The United States’ electrical grid is severely outdated so the government has created the Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) program.  This program’s purpose is to update our electrical grid, decrease frequency and duration of power outages and create more efficient power management.  A smart grid will benefit all property owners, by lowering costs associated with power outages.

Then there is smart building investment.  Companies are investing in cloud computing and “technology that can translate data from many different automated systems, allowing a facility manager team to remotely monitor entire portfolios”, according to Drummer.  These automated systems and smart buildings benefit property owners by decreasing energy costs by 15 to 20 percent and giving them the ability to find faulty equipment before it fails, resulting in no delay in operations.

And last is acceptance of renewable energy.  Solar, wind, and tidal power and biomass energy are all types of renewable energy that companies are beginning to convert to, but the adoption rate will depend on the availability of tax incentives and local support of resilience.

In the long run, following any of these trends will reduce costs for CRE and construction companies, facility managers and property owners and increase our country’s sustainability.  Bring A&K’s sustainability expertise to your project. A&K Painting is the leader in the “Green Painting” world, serving General Contractors, CRE Pros and National Accounts. We became fully involved with this major growth area of the construction world well before many companies started researching what it involved.  Learn more about our sustainability program now.

Green Building Top 10 Megatrends for 2013

A&K Painting is the North Carolina Leader in Green Expertise.

In a recent press release, Jerry Yudelson revealed his “annual list of Top 10 Megatrends for the green building industry”.  Jerry is known as one of the nation’s leading green building consultants and sustainability experts. He is the founder of Yudelson Associates and has written 13 books on building green.  He believes that despite the global economic slowdown, green building will continue to expand globally in 2013.  According to Jerry, “more people are building green each year, with 50,000 LEED projects underway by the latest counts”.  Jerry lists ten megatrends, but his second prediction stands out specifically, because it affects so many sectors of the building industry, including commercial real estate professionals, facility managers, general contractors, BOMA, education authorities, and more.

In his second prediction, Jerry explains, “The focus of the green building industry will continue its switch from new building design and construction to green existing buildings.  The fastest growing LEED rating system the past three years has been LEED for Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance (LEED O+M), with cumulative floor area in these certified projects now greater than in new construction”.  The LEED for Existing Buildings O&M Rating System, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, is a “set of voluntary performance standards for the sustainable ongoing operations of buildings not undergoing major renovations”.

For the professionals mentioned above to stay competitive and profitable all new projects will need to be LEED certified, whether Jerry’s prediction is correct or not.  Perhaps more importantly, existing operations will need to follow the LEED for Existing Buildings O&M Rating System; otherwise they will get left behind in this progressive, environmental friendly market.  These professionals need to take into consideration that although transforming an existing building into a green building cost a substantial amount of money initially, in the long run, LEED certified buildings lower operating costs, increase asset value, reduce waste, conserve energy and are safer for occupants.

Bring our ‘Green’ expertise to your project. A&K Painting is the leader in the “Green Painting” world.

GSA’s Green Proving Ground and its Benefit to the Private Sector

GSA_Green_Proving_Ground

The  Fed’s GSA Green Proving Ground Program is trying to find ways to be more environmentally friendly while reducing costs and many other private sector companies are following suit.  The private sector, however, has a harder time accomplishing these goals compared to the government due to lack of funding, which is why the GSA’s program is beneficial to them.

Richard Walker writes in an article on AOLGoverment, that “According to the GSA, ‘lighting together with power loads from equipment plugged into power-strips account for nearly 65 percent of electricity consumption in federal office buildings’”.  The General Services Administration is using its Green Proving Ground Program to investigate and evaluate ways to reduce these operational costs.  They have applied retrofitted lighting technology, which adjusts light levels according to occupancy, scheduling and personal control, just to name a few.  This technology is not only cost effective and beneficial to the environment, but is also causing an increase in workstation occupant’s satisfaction levels.   They are also focusing on finding more energy efficient power strips, since “plug loads account for about 25 percent of total electricity consumed within federal office buildings” according to the GSA.

These studies being conducted by the GSA benefit the private sector, including commercial real estate professionals and other property management companies, because they do not have the luxury of being a proving ground, so they will be able to get the insight without all the costs.  These studies will allow CRE pros and property management companies to reduce their overall operational costs in the immediate future, by using the more energy efficient solutions that the GSA has already tested and proved to be more cost effective.

Celebrating Our Team Anniversaries with A&K Painting

Bob Gregor A&K Painting Estimator and Project ManagerAmanda G. Hibberts, Director of Operations

This month we celebrate Amanda Hibbert’s 7th anniversary and Bob Gregor’s 6th anniversary. Amanda is our Director of Operations and Bob is one of our Sales/Estimators and also a Project Manager.

Thank you both for you excellent work and service to the company and the wonderful relationships you maintain for A&K.  We’re very proud of you and recognize the contribution you make in helping us maintain the position we enjoy in the industry.  Congratulations Amanda and Bob!

We know the success and growth of A&K Painting Company is largely dependent on having strong and capable team members like Amanda and Bob.