You may think of commissioning, including hiring a commissioning agent, as an added cost—and it is. It’s likely to reduce your operational costs, however, by yielding 5%–10% improvements in energy efficiency and ensuring that facilities personnel know how to operate key building systems. It’s also a great way to catch mistakes like missing or incorrectly installed equipment, avoiding occupant complaints and callbacks, indoor air quality and thermal comfort problems, premature equipment failure, and litigation.

You may think of commissioning, including hiring a commissioning agent, as an added cost—and it is. It’s likely to reduce your operational costs, however, by yielding 5%–10% improvements in energy efficiency and ensuring that facilities personnel know how to operate key building systems. It’s also a great way to catch mistakes like missing or incorrectly installed equipment, avoiding occupant complaints and callbacks, indoor air quality and thermal comfort problems, premature equipment failure, and litigation.

You may think of commissioning, including hiring a commissioning agent, as an added cost—and it is. It’s likely to reduce your operational costs, however, by yielding 5%–10% improvements in energy efficiency and ensuring that facilities personnel know how to operate key building systems. It’s also a great way to catch mistakes like missing or incorrectly installed equipment, avoiding occupant complaints and callbacks, indoor air quality and thermal comfort problems, premature equipment failure, and litigation.

Outdoor air delivery monitoring ensures that the ventilation system, whether natural or mechanical, provides enough fresh air to occupants. The credit  requires carbon dioxide (CO₂) and outdoor airflow monitors that signal when fresh air is needed according to minimum set points defined by ASHRAE 62.1-2007. Typical ventilation design (without monitors) tends to encourage increased ventilation that may result in increased energy use and added cost for conditioning increased amounts of outside air.

Buildings that provide views to the outdoors have proven to enhance productivity, testing performance, and overall occupant comfort and well-being. This credit is easy to achieve if you also plan to design for open space planning, placing occupied spaces near exterior windows with large glazing areas and so that this is for more than just offices using furniture that does not block views from a seated position, such as low or transparent partitions between workstations.

Buildings that provide views to the outdoors have proven to enhance productivity, testing performance, and overall occupant comfort and well-being. This credit is easy to achieve if you also plan to design for open space planning, placing occupied spaces near exterior windows with large glazing areas. and design  spaces to use furniture that does not block views from a seated position, such as low or transparent partitions between workstations.

If an existing building plays a starring role in your project, it’s a good candidate for this credit, which rewards the reuse of buildings and their structural components. In this way you can reduce the energy- and resource-intensive manufacturing of new materials, while prolonging the enjoyment of a building’s character and history. If the existing building plays only a small role, on the other hand, it is less likely to qualify for this credit, although it may contribute to materials reuse credits.

If an existing building plays a starring role in your project, it’s a good candidate for this credit, which rewards the reuse of buildings and their structural components. In this way you can reduce the energy- and resource-intensive manufacturing of new materials, while prolonging the enjoyment of a building’s character and history. If the existing building plays only a small role, on the other hand, it is less likely to qualify for this credit, although it may contribute to materials reuse credits.

If an existing building plays a starring role in your project, it’s a good candidate for this credit, which rewards the reuse of buildings and their structural components. In this way you can reduce the energy- and resource-intensive manufacturing of new materials, while prolonging the enjoyment of a building’s character and history. If the existing building plays only a small role, on the other hand, it is less likely to qualify for this credit, although it may contribute to materials reuse credits.

Development usually comes with increased stormwater runoff due to impervious surfaces like roofs and parking lots. To earn this credit with previously undeveloped sites, you’ll need to avoid any increase in runoff, while on mostly impervious developed sites, you’ll need to reduce runoff. You may need to go beyond standard practice to achieve this credit, and you might see increased costs, although an integrated approach can make this credit cost-effective.