Commercial Green Building

Commercial Web Links

• BGBG Commercial website links
  

Codes, Regulations, & Standards

• DOE- Building Energy Codes Program Information resource on national model energy codes.
  

• City of Boulder’s Revised Energy Code Information on the City of Boulder’s revised energy and insulation code

New Building Design & Construction

• High Performance Buildings Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, this site collects information from buildings around the world, ranging from homes and commercial interiors to large buildings and even whole campuses and neighborhoods

• BuildingGreen An independent publishing company, their site has lots of good resources and learning tools including a green product guide

• Whole Building Design Guide Sponsored by the National Institute of Building Science, this site has a wide range of topics on green building and building science

• Energy Star -Integrated Energy Design Guidance These guidelines are a strategic management approach, not a technical reference, to incorporate energy performance in the building design process

Existing Buildings

• BOMA - National Association of Building Owners and Managers
• BOMA Energy Performance Contracting Model A pioneering model contract and supporting documents that allow building owners and operators to execute sophisticated energy efficiency retrofits to existing buildings
• BEEP® (BOMA Energy Efficiency Program) A program to teach commercial real estate professionals how to reduce energy consumption and costs with proven no- and low-cost strategies for optimizing equipment, people and practices
  

• Historic Buildings
• Historic Boulder
• City of Boulder's Historic Building Energy Efficiency Guide file.pdf

Interior & Tenant Finish

• EPA’s Controlling Pollutants and Sources  Written for schools, this is a very good tool for ensuring that buildings are built to promote good indoor air quality, from what should be considered to what to spec

• EPA’s Indoor Air Quality Lots of resources and information related to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) issues, including asthma, mold, radon, etc.

Energy Efficient Design

• ASHRAE- American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers An excellent resource for information on energy efficiency related to heating and cooling equipment

• SWEEP- Southwest Energy Efficiency Project Works to promote more efficient building practices in the Southwest

Alternative Renewable Energy Options

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) A nationally recognized leader in buildings research combining renewable energy with innovative technologies to significantly reduce energy consumption in buildings

• American Solar Energy Society (ASES) The nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the use of solar energy, energy efficiency, and other sustainable technologies in the U.S.

• American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) A national trade association representing wind power project developers, equipment suppliers, services providers, parts manufacturers, utilities, researchers, and others involved in the wind industry - one of the world's fastest growing energy industries
  

Deconstruction

• Boulder County Construction Waste Management Construction & deconstruction recycling guide

Green Specifications

• Federal Green Construction Guide for Specifiers Addressing the need for a comprehensive guide for procuring green building products and construction services within the Federal government, EPA has partnered with the Federal Environmental Executive and the Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG) to develop this guide for Specifiers

• Sustainable Design Resource Guide Put out by the Denver AIA Committee on the Environment, this is a great place to start looking for regional building materials

• California Sustainable Building Green Project Specifications Briefly explains the CSI MasterFormat™ and identify several areas to incorporate environmental specifications into a project. It will also outline the CSI SectionFormat™ with a sample environmental specification, describe model specifications in general and provide links to some example environmental specifications

• Greenguard Certification Program A third-party certification program for low-emitting products and materials for indoor environments. Covers a wide range of products including paint, textile, adhesives, flooring and more

• Athena Institute Canada-based organization focused on measuring the total life cycle impact of materials, and which hosts a large database of building and interior materials

• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) An organization that certifies wood products as having come from sustainably managed forests

Building Acquisition & Leasing

• National Association of Building Owners and Managers (BOMA) A primary source of information on office building development, leasing, building operating costs, energy consumption patterns, local and national building codes, legislation, occupancy statistics and technological developments

Facilities Management

• Xcel Energy Building energy management assistance

Materials & Equipment

• EPA’s Controlling Pollutants and Sources Written for schools, this is a very good tool for ensuring that buildings are built to promote good indoor air quality, from what should be considered to what to spec.

• EPA's Energy Star A joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices

Rebates & Assistance Programs

• Xcel Energy Energy efficiency conservation programs, rebates and incentives
  

• City of Boulder's Climate Action Plan

• ClimateSmart A countywide effort to help individuals, families and businesses increase their energy efficiency and reduce their carbon footprint

• Center for Resource Conservation (CRC)  Implements programs for the Boulder community through three divisions - Waste (Deconstruction/Re-Use), Energy, and Water

• Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) A database of state, local and federal incentives and rebates for renewable energy and energy improvement

• US Environmental Protection Agency Green building resources and links from the US EPA.

Green Building Certifications Programs

• US Green Building Council (USGBC) A national non-profit organization committed to expanding sustainable building practices. This is the organization that sponsors the well known LEED green building program

• Green Globes Online assessment protocol, rating system and guidance for green building design, operation and management

• PACE A partnership of local governments and businesses to encourage and recognize environmental achievement

Why Wait?  Green Your Office Interiors Now!

If you haven’t heard by now, the green building movement is growing exponentially.  Buildings consume over 30% of our total energy, and over 60% of our electricity, in addition to a large portion of our resources such as water.  Construction and demolition activities create about 40% of the total solid waste stream in the country.  To reverse these trends, the green building industry was born.  In addition to the environmental benefits, there are very substantial financial benefits to green design- probably the main reason the green building movement has grown so much over the last few years.  Companies have discovered that not only are they behaving like good corporate citizens, but it helps the bottom line too. Download full article.