11 May LEED & BREEAM Certificates

These are two certificates that endorse the commitment to the construction and renovation of sustainable buildings with high energy and environmental efficiency.

 

LEED (Leadership in Energy & environmental Design)

 

LEED is a seal that certifies the sustainability of buildings, it is an international and voluntary standard classification process, it is based on the agreement of criteria and parameters for the construction and renovation of high efficiency sustainable buildings. It was developed by members of the U.S. Green Buildings Council, USGBC, which is made up of members from all sectors involved in the construction of a building. Its sustainability parameters and requirements are continuously analyzed to adapt to the evolving building market.

With LEED a building reduces energy use by 30% to 70%. 30% to 50% of water, 50 to 90% of waste costs and 35% of CO2 emissions.

What does LEED certification evaluate?

 

Water consumption efficiency

Some of the water efficiency technologies and strategies can be easily incorporated at any point in the design process, or to incorporate with construction underway, while others require advance planning and implementation.

 

 

Energy efficiency

A building designed according to LEED certification guidelines can save between 30% and 50% of energy compared to traditional buildings, resulting in a reduction of the building’s operating costs.

 

CO2 emissions

Use of renewable energies to improve energy efficiency, reducing economic costs and CO2 emissions.

 

 

 

Indoor air quality

Parameters that improve the quality of the indoor environment, such as the use of natural light, thermal and acoustic comfort, ventilation, etc., are considered.

 

 

Validation and certification process:

The system for granting LEED certification is based on the analysis and assessment of the aforementioned aspects by Energio, an independent agent or certifier accredited by the USGBC, which is responsible for collecting all the necessary information on each project to perform the analysis of the same and thus be able to grant the corresponding rating. It can be said that this valuation work is divided into the following stages:

 

Project registration with the USGBC

• Definition of the type of certification applied for.
• Pre-evaluation based on the data obtained, intentions and goals of the project.
• Application for certification.
• Review and certification.

 

BREEAM (Building Reasearch Establishment´s Environmental Assessment Method)

 

BREEAM, a certificate for the sustainability of buildings.

 

The BREEAM certification system, developed by the BREEAM Global organization in the United Kingdom, began to be developed in 1988 and was launched in 1990, first for the evaluation of new commercial and residential buildings and then, after constant updates, extending its scope of application to different types of use and building typologies.

It has been adapted to several countries and has more than 115,000 certified buildings in the world.

BREEAM promotes a more sustainable construction that results in economic, environmental and social benefits for all the people involved in the life of a building (investors, owners, tenants and users) while transferring the Corporate Social Responsibility of the company to society and the market in an unequivocal and easily perceptible way.

 

BREEAM benefits

 

 

Energy efficiency

Decreases energy consumption by 50% – 70%.

 

 

Reduction of water consumption

Water consumption is up to 40% less.

 

 

Maintenance

Operating and maintenance costs are reduced by 7% – 8%.

 

BREEAM Certification

 

Benefits of obtaining BREEAM Certification

 

Economic

The BREEAM certification of a building brings important economic benefits for its owners or users, since energy consumption is reduced by 50% to 70%, water consumption by up to 40% and maintenance costs are reduced by 7% to 8%. The ownership of the building increases its value by 7.5% and increases rents by 3% and the occupancy rate of the property by 3.5%.

Environmental

Reductions in energy consumption have a direct impact on the environment, but the methodology promotes many more initiatives to minimize CO2 emissions over the life of the building.

Social

The indoor environment of the buildings where we work, study, shop or socialize is an important contribution to our quality of life. Measures such as air quality, outdoor visits, lighting and noise levels have a direct impact on making buildings more comfortable, safer and healthier for users, which also brings economic benefits.

 

The lowest BREEAM certificate (Correct) is obtained with the fulfillment of 30% of the requirements, while the LEED Certificate requires 30%.

 

Sustainability offers added value to our buildings, cost savings in the medium and long term, and is an excellent opportunity to differentiate ourselves from our competitors. We understand the urgency of this commitment and it is increasingly requested by our customers so we offer full monitoring and accompany them during the validation process.

 

This information was taken and validated by Energio www.energio.es/leed-breeam/