New Certification Helps Small Commercial Buildings Go Green
PORTLAND, Ore. — Earth Advantage Institute (EAI), has recently announced a new green building certification for smaller commercial properties.
The Earth Advantage Commercial (EAC) green building certification program will offer three levels, same as LEED — Platinum, Gold and Silver. The standards will help smaller commercial properties get a green building certification that represents the approach and results of these properties.
The certification is for commercial buildings smaller than 100,000 square feet. The EAI adds that 95 percent of all commercial buildings are in this smaller category, but green certification for these buildings are often “overlooked due to its perceived complexities and cost.”
The benefit of accreditation for small commercial buildings is to provide the owner, developer and community with reliable and verified results of the performance of the building. By tracking the performance of the building, owners are able to pinpoint the success and make alterations to areas that show a need for improvement.
There is also always the environmental benefit of building “green,” which includes a reduced carbon footprint. By using specific building practices, techniques and technologies, builders are able to conserve energy and create responsible buildings for knowledgeable clients.
By certifying a small commercial building, owners are also likely to save money and verify their savings are coming from the energy-efficient installations and technologies that were used in the building.
“Certified commercial buildings are also designed to exceed standard building practices and minimum code requirements in important areas such as health, materials, land and water use,” according to the EAI.
The EAC program is not a completely new idea for the company; instead it is an expansion of an earlier endeavor created by EAI in the late 1990s. This new program sparked from a pilot program that EAI began in 2010 in collaboration with Energy Trust of Oregon. After the success of the pilot program, EAI determined they would do a full national launch of the program this year.
“The success of our EAC pilot in Oregon, along with the tremendous interest we’ve received from across the country, is a clear indication that there is a demand for green building certification options for small commercial buildings,” said Diana Fischetti, commercial program manager at EAI in a statement.