Trane, a leading global provider of indoor comfort systems and a brand of ... High performance buildings can be a reputa
High Performance Buildings Program Background Information Definition of High Performance Buildings High performance buildings encompass major building attributes including energy efficiency, sustainability, lifecycle performance and occupant productivity. High performance buildings take a whole-building approach to performance while creating spaces that are comfortable, safe, healthy and efficient. Current economic conditions, coupled with increasing energy and operational costs, make high performance buildings an appealing choice for businesses and organizations focused on lowering costs while increasing productivity. High performance building concepts complement LEED and Energy Star programs and will help building owners and operators achieve building standards proposed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Illuminating Engineering Society (IES). Standards and Attributes Because every building is unique in its purpose, there is no uniform set of standards for high performance buildings. Generally speaking, they meet specific standards for energy and water consumption, system reliability and uptime, environmental compliance and indoor air quality. All standards are set to deliver established outcomes that help building owners and occupants achieve their business mission. Trane, a leading global provider of indoor comfort systems and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, helps create high performance buildings using a unique methodology – combining financial, operating and energy analysis with specialized service offers and available financing. To sustain efficiency throughout their lifecycles, high performance buildings use strategic service and maintenance programs that transcend traditional run-until-fail models. Instead, they employ preventative maintenance models that use state-of-the-art technologies to monitor building systems and diagnose problems before costly failures can occur. Benefits to Building Owners • The USGBC estimates that the incremental costs of high performance construction are 0.66 to 6.5 percent higher than conventional buildings, but high performance buildings provide lifecycle energy and operational savings of 20 to 50 percent per year. •
Preventative maintenance models eliminate unnecessary service and ensure minimum unscheduled downtime for buildings, reducing maintenance costs and loss of revenue.
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Studies show commercial buildings with high efficiency standards command premium rents, enjoy higher occupancy rates and sell for higher prices on the open market.
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High performance buildings can be a reputation and branding tool, not to mention helping with employee and customer attraction and retention.
Benefits to Building Occupants • Work space is designed to be healthier, safer and less stressful. •
Safe and secure work environments have positive effects on worker productivity. A 2009 Michigan State study found that better indoor air quality, daylighting and other factors result in a productivity boost valued somewhere between $69,000 and $250,000 for groups moving to LEED offices.
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Organizational productivity improves under high performance building standards, which in turn creates a more welcoming and comfortable environment for occupants, visitors and customers.
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According to a recent study by the U.S. Green Building Council, improving the indoor environment has resulted in $20 billion or more in productivity improvements nationwide.
