GO GREEN / LEED Consulting

Written By:  Michael Koploy

Retrofitting a commercial warehouse has a number of benefits, including:

• reducing the facility’s carbon footprint;
• increasing the property’s value; and
• lowering the facility’s energy bills.

But how can this be done affordably? Michael Koploy, manager of the Warehouse Management Systems Guide (click here) interviewed architect Sean Canning, supply chain consultant Shawn Casemore, energy consultant Dan Gould, and commercial roofing expert Dave Homerding to find how just how this could be done. Here are their nine suggestions.

Source: Jan-Erik Finnberg

1. Use solar tubes to increase natural lighting – Solar light tubes, or light pipes, can often be installed without compromising the structural integrity of the warehouse. These tubes can increase the natural lighting of the warehouse without electricity.

2. Apply a “cool roof” — Many warehouses have older roofs that absorb ample heat from the sun. To repel this energy, consider deploying a cool roof – a white, reflective paint applied to the roof.

3. Upgrade batt insulation — Insulation in warehouses that utilize batt insulation can be improved by upgrading to either sprayed-foam or loose-fill insulation. These types offer better thermal resistance than older batt insulation.

4. Replace metal halide lights with fluorescent or induction lighting — Older metal halide lighting is much less efficient than fluorescent or induction lighting fixtures. For those with deeper pockets and want even more efficient lights, LEDs are an option that more warehouses are deploying.

5. Shift lighting scheme to focus on natural light, task lighting — If intense light isn’t essential to operations in a warehouse, then focus on using natural lighting to brighten the warehouse and using local, “task” lighting in the areas that need the most visibility.

6. Program thermostats appropriately — Making sure that thermostats are properly programmed will decrease the heating and cooling cycles, reducing their energy usage. Additionally, monitoring systems can be deployed for deeper analysis and energy reduction.

7. Utilize motion and daylight sensors — Combining motion sensors with fluorescent, induction or LED lights can quickly reduce their energy usage. Additionally, dimmers and daylight sensors can be deployed to keep electrical lights dim when natural lighting is high.

8. Deploy destratification fans — Large industrial-grade fans can be deployed to destratify the air within the warehouse. This is especially important in colder climates, where warehouse heating uses a lot of energy.

9. Participate in a demand-response energy program — Finally, demand-response energy programs are an interesting option for warehouses looking to cut their energy spend without investing in new hardware or technology. Users receive income for participating in the program and when asked to reduce energy consumption.

For more on these retrofits, check out: 9 Warehouse Retrofits to Go Green and Reduce Energy Consumption.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Is the building you own or manage sustainable?
Do you set goals/baselines for energy and water  reductions and savings?

2B Green World, a sustainable consulting company specializing in Existing Commercial Buildings (EB), improves clients assets (commercial buildings) through implementing sustainable operations & maintenance (O&M) practices which raises Net Operating Income (NOI) through reducing operating expenditures, adding building value and/or savings to the tenants.  Building value is created by taking the projects realized savings over a 12 month time period (starting directly after implementing sustainable practices) and dividing the Annual Savings by the Capitalization (“Cap”) Rate (Annual Dollar Savings / Cap Rate).

Marketing your building improves becasuse of implementing “Green”/Sustainable practices and demonstrating factual evidence on “Green” changes and explaining their realized benefits.

LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Certification for Existing Buildings (EB):  Operations & Maintenance (O&M), is the most popular “Green”/Sustainable certification program in the World.  The US Government mandates all their New Construction (NC) projects be LEED Certified and any buildings the Government leases/rents – the building must be LEED Certified or they will vacate their space to find a building that is LEED Certified!

Building Owner’s who have a Government Agency leasing space from you be careful and get your building LEED Certified before they leave when their lease is up!  Getting your building LEED Certified to save your Government tenants is a small cost compared to the amount of rent that Government Agency is paying you to rent space!

Call 2B Green World to find out how to get your building LEED Certified
(813) 964-7336

“Going Green” has many benefits and will create savings for building owners:

1. Reduces Energy & Water usage/expense
2. Lowers Operating Expenses,
   
3. Improves Marketing ability
4. Improves Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) for building occupants
5. Increases Recycling Program
6. Track & Document Sustainable Operations

Be Smart, Do Your Part – Go Green Today!

2B Green World – (813) 964 – 7336

Popularity: 1% [?]

Most industries have heard of the acronym LEED, standing for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design.  The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) created LEED in 1996 as a way building owners can follow sustainable practices and reap the benefits of being green.

2B Green World is a LEED Consulting company specializing in Existing Building (EB) Certification.  The EB market is so large and robust that it consumes about 35% of the energy use in the USA!  That’s a lot of energy…and money!

2B Green World specializes in creating value for clients by reducing their assets energy and water use and implementing sustainable practices.  Reducing energy and water consumption saves a lot of money – 1 building 2B Green World worked on saved over $225,000 in 2010 vs. 2009 energy costs!  That equates to an annual reduction of 18% for the buildings energy use!  We also save about 2,500,000 gallons of water from retrofitting plumbing fixtures and fittings as well as installing water softener for the cooling towers, saving about $20,000/year in water costs!  This same building, 100 North Tampa, also recycles about 75,000 pounds every month, or 900,000 pounds per year!

100 North Tampa

This picture of 100 North Tampa, with Bryan Lauer (me) and Calvin Buikema.  Cal is the Senior Property Manager for the building and I am the LEED Consultant for 100 North Tampa.

Bottom Line – LEED Certification saves money, creates building value, enhances the assets features and is another “Arrow in the Marketing Quiver”. 

We improve buildings “Triple Bottom Line”

- People, Planet and Profit -

The People are in a more environmentally friendly place, there is better indoor air quality, no chemicals used, environmentally friendly products used for a healthier work environment.
The Planet is improved because we use less energy and water, and recycle more.
Profits have been realized by the reductions of energy and water use.

LEED is the present and future, find out more about LEED Certification for Existing Buildings (EB) today by calling 813.96 GREEN (47336)

Popularity: 2% [?]

LEED Certification?  You have to of heard the acronym “LEED” before, maybe even more than you care for, however LEED is the World’s most recognized “Green”/Sustainable Certification Program.  Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the number 1 way to demonstrate your sustainable efforts and accomplishments.

LEED Certification is good for so many reasons:

• Improve Marketing Ability
• Increase Building Value by Reducing Resources (Energy, Water) Usage
• Improve and Expand Recycling Program
• Improve Indoor Air Quality by Using “Green” Products
• Implement “Best Practices” According to the USGBC (United States Green Building Council – the creators of LEED)
• Document, and Track Sustainable Efforts & LEED “Credits”

What is wrong with the Tampa Bay Area?  The Tampa Bay Rays are great but they have the lowest attendance of fans in the Major League!  Why is that?  Is something in the water that makes Tampa Bayians lazy?

I have worked on about a dozen large office buildings in Florida and all buildings have saved enough money by reducing energy and water usage to pay for all the costs of Consulting and LEED Fees within 1 – 2 years!

2B Green World – 3 LEED EB Case Studies Cost Savings

2BGW – LEED EB Projects Energy Savings Equivalents

But I can’t even give away my services to building owners!  One building owner has an older building that spends about $4.50/square foot for electricity!  Typically buildings should spend about $1.50-$2.00/square foot!
I proposed to work on that building and 2 others for free up front but share a percentage of the energy savings realized at all 3 projects over a 5 year term. 

Can you believe they said “NO”?

Can someone help me out with getting new business for my sustainability company – 2B Green World?  Our projects “Payback” within 1-2 years, typically, and my fees are reasonable and willing to do small up front fee and share a % of energy savings over 2-7 years!

There are tangible and intangible benefits to LEED.
The tangible benefits are savings money, retrofitting light bulbs to less wattage/longer lasting/etc., changing faucet aerators to less GPM (Gallon Per Minute) 2.5GPM to 0.5GPM = 2 Gallons Per Minute Savings!
The intangible benefits are harder or almost impossible to calculate:  Improving Indoor Air Quality leading to higher productivity of building occupants, having direct lines of site to sunlight and optimal lighting conditions improve occupants productivity levels, using better quality Air Filters to capture more dust particles improve air quality and all examples lead to less sick days of occupants as well.  As you can see, the intangible benefits are harder to calculate and justify.

Popularity: 1% [?]

2B Green World, a consulting firm specializing in LEED Certification, has been awarded 2 LEED projects in Taiwan.  1 is a LEED Commercial Interior (CI) certification and the other is New Construction (NC) certification.  The CI is for the HQ of Multiflow Corp. and the NC is a  Hospital project.

These 2 LEED projects are the first of many with the connections and lack of LEED consultants in Asia.  We are excited to be entering this market and hope more opportunities will come from it.

To see a picture of the Hospital LEED NC project, click here – LEED NC Hospital Project, Taiwan

Popularity: 1% [?]

2B Green World, a LEED Consulting Company, led the way for Island Center and Waterford Plaza (located on Rocky Point in Tampa, FL) to be awarded the prestigious LEED Certification for Existing Buildings (EB).

2B Green World was the LEED (EB) Consultant for both projects, conducting the building commissioning/engineering work that is part of LEED (EB) Certification.

Nearly every story has a dream-like picture perfect water view, proudly standing highest on the small island of Rocky Point, looking over both Tampa, to the East, and Clearwater to the West.

Island Center & Waterford Plaza Highlights

• Each comprise roughly of 250,000 square feet;
• Energy Star ratings in the high 80′s, low 90′s (10th Percentile)
• Energy efficient improvements implemented with estimated Return On Investment (ROI) outlined
• Water efficiency upgrades/retrofits reduce demand on water, energy for water pumps and prolong pipes and attached parts
• Improved Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) makes for cleaner/healthier atmosphere leading to more productive/happy/healthy occupants
• Increased recycling efforts include everything from paper, plastic, toner cartridges, electronics, furniture and demolition waste
• Cleaning company uses environmentally-friendly products roughly 70-80%, by cost, of the time

To see more about these LEED Existing Building (EB) projects, please visit 2B Green World’s website here

For more information, please email Bryan Lauer at Bryan@2BGreenWorld.com

Popularity: 2% [?]

“Energy Star“, often heard in today’s “Green Industrial Boom”, is a tool used in many different areas but has 1 main goal – to help save & reduce energy use.
You can purchase Energy Star rated products, like computers, printers, fridgerators, washing machines, etc. and typically save 30% energy use vs. the standard product.

Energy Star can also be used to track buildings energy performance on an ongoing basis.  Their website can be used to setup a “Portfolio Manager” Tool, giving users the ability to review multiple buildings under one portfolio.

In Energy Star, you can track the following types of buildings:

• Offices
• Bank/Financial Institutions
• Courthouses
• Data Center
• K-12 Schools
• Hospitals (Acute Care and Children’s)
• Hotels
• Retail Stores
• Supermarkets
• Senior Care Facility
• Residence Halls/Dormitories
• Warehouses
• Medical Offices
• Wastewater Facilities
• House of Worship

2B Green World, a consulting firm specializing in sustainability and LEED EB certification, will help you get setup into EnergyStar.

Please email us at Bryan@2BGreenWorld.com to find out more about getting your project setup into Energy Star.

2B Green World is a proud partner with Energy Star

Energy Star Parnter Logo

Popularity: 2% [?]

2B Green World (2BGW), a consulting firm specializing in LEED certification for Existing Buildings (EB), has developed a step-by-step process for clients to go through the LEED EB Certification process. 2BGWs – “LEED EB Green Guide” (name of software), takes users through the LEED EB certification process in a user-friendly way.


The program is in its final stages before going public.  We are expected to go live in the 3rd Quarter of 2011.  If you are interested in being in the BETA program please email us – Bryan@2BGreenWorld.com

“We have developed an effective and efficient process for building owners to obtain LEED (EB) Certification”, says Bryan Lauer, Owner of 2B Green World.  “Now anyone has the ability to gauge their project(s) achieving LEED EB Certification.”

“This is a do-it-yourself program that guides you and the ‘Team’, step-by-step, from start to finish, allowing users to keep costs down, and go at their own pace. You can also email a help-center for questions and clarifications.

The initial LEED EB certification process should take anywhere from 1,500 – 2,500 hours, between all Team members. Team members consist of:

* Project Contact/Coordinator – “LEED Project Manager”
* Project Vendors/Contractors:

1. Landscaper
2. Pest Control
3. Window Washer
4. Cleaning Company
5. Light Bulb Supplier
6. Contractor for “build-outs”
7. Recycling – Durable Goods and Ongoing Consumables
8. Waste/Landfill Management
9. HVAC vendors
10. Chiller – Chemical Management Vendor
11. And all other vendors related to the project building(s)
*  TenantsVisitorsProperty Management & Operations Teams
*  LEED EB Green Guide

The step-by-step process easily guides users through all 4 Phases of LEED Certification:

* Phase I – LEED EB Feasibility Study
* Phase II – LEED EB Implementation/Application Submission
* Phase III – LEED EB Final Review/Application Submission
* Phase IV – LEED EB: Ongoing Tracking & Implementation

Email or Call us today to find out more about how you can LEED (EB) certify projects on your own – 813-964-7336 or Bryan@2BGreenWorld.com

The step-by-step process was developed for the primary project contact and team members to work on “Task Items”, taking on average 10 – 45 minutes to complete. This allows the Team to complete multiple tasks in one sitting or day, moving the project forward easily.

Popularity: 2% [?]

2B Green World has been awarded 3 Office Buildings in Doral/Miami, FL.  Westside Plaza 1, 2 & 3 are located near Miami International Airport (MIA) in Doral, FL.  Each project is 4-stories, between 108,00 – 160,000 rentable square feet.

Westside Plaza

The projects have started the Feasibility Study, or “GAP” Analysis.  The Study should take between 10-16 weeks until we decide to move forward with LEED Existing Building (EB) Certification.

All 3 projects have respectable Energy Star ratings, due to the Property Management Team – Grubb & Ellis – being proactive with their sustainability goals and initiatives.  Grubb & Ellis has been implementing sustainable initiatives since 2007.  They are now implementing LEED requirements to improve the buildings performance and quality even more.

2B Green World has completed other LEED EB projects in the area.  2525 Ponce de Leon and 2555 Ponce de Leon are located in the heart of Coral Gables.  2525 is nearly 300,000 square feet and 2525, built in 2953 and historic, is nearly 115,000 gross square feet.

2525 received LEED EB Gold Certification in late 2010

2525 Ponce de Leon

2555 received LEED EB Silver Certification in late 2010.

2555 Ponce de Leon

2B Green World is a consulting company specializing in LEED certification for Existing Buildings (EB).  View our website and LEED projects here -
2B Green World – LEED EB Projects

Popularity: 2% [?]

I HAVE TO MAKE THIS KNOWN

Commercial Real Estate firms have been developing their own “Green” groups specializing in LEED certification and other sustainable services, offering their new services to clients.  What happens is that the commercial firms monopolize their clients by offering sustainable service, claiming to be competitive with sustainable consulting firms.  In many cases, this can be a dis-service to their clients by withholding outside proposals from companies specializing in sustainable/LEED certification consulting.

The dis-service comes into play when the property manager doesn’t even forward the sustainable consulting companies proposals to the owner, deliberately keeping us out of the bidding process, if there is one.

OWNERS SHOULD ASK FOR 3 TO 4 PROPOSALS FROM OUTSIDE COMPANIES SPECIALIZING IN SUSTAINABILITY. Sustainability is our core competency but we have a commercial real estate background, understanding the management and operations process, combining the two creating even more value.

Experienced LEED Consulting companies can provide the same service, and probably better service, to building owners.  I have experienced this first hand, multiple times, and finally voicing my opinion so it gets heard.

Building owners should ask their property management companies to obtain bids from expert consulting companies to compare rates and understand who else is in the market and what their services are.

I have been shunned by too many large commercial real estate firms because they want to keep the revenue that’s generated from LEED consulting fees.  This is a disservice to their client and it needs to change NOW!

BUILDING OWNERS, ASK ME FOR A PROPOSAL EVEN IF IT’S JUST TO COMPARE RATES.

MY COMPANY HAS PRODUCED ENOUGH ENERGY SAVINGS IN THE FIRST YEAR TO PAY FOR MOST OF ALL LEED CONSULTING FEES!

We do this by implementing best practices using common sense and sustainable practices.  View our projects and their savings here – 2B Green World Past Projects

Popularity: 9% [?]

Check out the amazing Class “A” Office Buildings I’m working on in Florida.

These projects are in different stages of obtaining LEED Certification.  There are many benefits to achieving LEED Certification, such as:  Cost Savings, Electric Savings, Water Savings, Increase Recycling, Improve Building Operations & Maintenance.

Find out more about getting your project LEED Certified.  Email Bryan Lauer at Bryan@2BGreenWorld.com or call 813.96GREEN (47336).

Popularity: 18% [?]

2B Green World proved that going green saves green.  Please read the article here – http://www.review.net/section/detail/green-makes-green/

For more information on how to save money and LEED call Bryan Lauer at 813.363.0861 or email – Bryan@2BGreenWorld.com

100 North Tampa Bldg.

Popularity: 23% [?]

2B Green World is a consulting firm specializing in Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Certification for Existing Buildings, including:

• Office Buildings
• Hospitals
• Hotels
• High-rise apartments/condo’s
• Government Buildings
• Retail Buildings

Benefits:

• Reduce Operating Expenditures (Electric & Water), Increase NOI
• Increase Building Equipment Efficiency and Longevity
• Increase Marketability
• Increase Occupancy Rate (if applicable)
• Increase Rental Rates (if applicable)
• Increase Sales Price
• Implement best management practices
• Increase Recycling Program
• Improve Building Operations
• Improve Indoor Air Quality Environment
• Utilize “Green”, environmentally friendly products

Mission Statement – To service building owners in reducing operating expenses, increasing marketing efforts and improving indoor and outdoor environments creating a healthier/sustainable workplace through LEED Certification.

Vision Statement – Preserve the World, one building at a time.

The following office buildings are past and current LEED EB projects:

These projects represent over 2 million square feet of Class A office space!

We can work on a project anywhere in the World.  How?  Technology.  We only need to visit the site a couple times, if at all!

For more information on LEED Consulting Services for Existing Buildings, please call Bryan Lauer at 813.363.0861 or Bryan@2BGreenWorld.com

Popularity: 23% [?]