When it comes to achieving sustainability in commercial buildings, one might say, “It takes a village.”

Good HVAC contractors can help building owners and operators implement smart energy-saving measures, keep them apprised of the latest green technologies, and provide monitoring to help ensure that sustainable HVAC systems perform as intended. But even the best HVAC contractors cannot create and maintain a sustainable building on their own. Other major players — building owners and managers, HVAC system engineers, architects, and  facility managers — must also be on board.

The NEWS asked these integral partners to provide their perspectives on what sustainability means to them and how HVAC contractors can work with them to help them achieve it.

BUILDING OWNERS’ GOALS

Building owners want to ensure that everything they do at the individual property level results in a positive payback, noted Eric Duchon, global head of sustainability at LaSalle Investment Management, which has more than 300 assets in the U.S. In the case of necessary replacement building upgrades, the payback comes in the form of helping buildings remain competitive in the marketplace and ensuring tenant satisfaction. Sustainability upgrades, on the other hand, are generally measured on the bottom line in terms of justifying the investment.

“We have portfolio-level sustainability goals as a real estate owner, and, as an investment manager, our primary objective in all of our activities is to deliver superior investment results for clients,” said Duchon, who also chairs the Energy and Environment Committee of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Intl.

In recent years, the payback on sustainability measures has taken on added importance from a corporate image standpoint.

“Our tenants and investors are increasingly aware that sustainability is good business, so we want to be sure we’re minimizing our impact on the environment while achieving our returns,” Duchon said. “We have a number of performance indicators we use to objectively quantify the value of sustainability measures. We believe environmental, social, and governance best practices enhance the investment performance of our clients’ assets.”

According to Duchon, HVAC contractors can help building owners and managers succeed in meeting their sustainability goals in a number of ways. 

First, they can target the low-hanging fruit simply by examining building operating schedules and set points to ensure the building’s current equipment and systems are running as efficiently as possible.

Next, when proposing an equipment or sustainability upgrade, contractors should be prepared to educate the building owner or manager on what the numbers are going to be from an ongoing cost perspective. 

“Don’t just specify a piece of equipment,” Duchon said. “I want to know the costs for the current piece of equipment as well as the future cost projections. It is important to understand what the energy reduction will be, so I can work with our property team to track it. The ability to help us with the calculation of what is in place now versus what it will be going forward is really powerful and will definitely help sell the project to ownership.”

Finally, HVAC contractors should make the building owner or manager aware of any rebates or incentives that might be attached to a piece of equipment or to an entire sustainability project.

“If an HVAC specialist has a good understanding of what is available, that’s extremely helpful to us because it’s obviously to our benefit to capture those incentives,” said Duchon.

ENGINEERS SEEK KNOWLEDGEABLE CONTRACTOR PARTNERS

Lawrence J. Schoen, founder and president, Schoen Engineering, Columbia, Maryland, said sustainability has become increasingly important for building owners in recent years for a number of reasons beyond the simple economics of energy efficiency. Schoen is a former BOMA representative to ASHRAE and has served on a number of ASHRAE technical committees, including Standard 62.1, “Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality.” He is currently vice-chair of the technical committee for Standard 189.1, “Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings.”

Schoen noted that in some areas, such as Washington, District of Columbia, government tenants are required to have Energy Star certification on all their leases. Other areas are adopting the International Green Construction Code — for which ASHRAE Standard 189.1 serves as the technical content.  Some real estate portfolios have green requirements, which may correspond to green standards, Energy Star, or other ratings. Meanwhile, many corporations are interested in sustainability for their own organizational goals and/or public perception.

The leading sustainability technology measures Schoen sees trending with building owners include variable refrigerant flow (VFR), LED lighting, green roofs, single-zone variable air volume (VAV) and other humidity control sequences, variable frequency drives (VFDs) of electronically commutated motors (ECMs), demand-controlled ventilation, and outside air tracking.   

When it comes to what contractors can do to partner with engineers and system designers, Schoen suggested, first of all, being up to speed on the codes in the area and not being afraid to ask questions if something in the plans isn’t clear.

“Engineers are not perfect and may make mistakes, or we may have an intention that isn’t totally clear,” Schoen said. “So, although it’s important for HVAC contractors to bid and install according to the plans, they shouldn’t hesitate to submit requests for information and ask questions if something’s not clear — especially if it’s something code- or energy-related.”

Schoen also suggested that contractors partner with general contractors to manage the construction waste stream, which is becoming an increasingly important part of the sustainability codes.

“There are salvage and recycling/reuse specifications in many of the codes for the waste that’s generated as part of the construction process and also waste that comes out of demolition,” he said. “Partnering with generals in this area can help boost an HVAC contractor’s reputation in the sustainability world.”

Finally, Schoen advised HVAC contractors to start up the equipment, and run it through its paces before it’s time for an official building commission to take place.

“A commissioning ‘false start’ really doesn’t help anybody, so contractors can get a good rep by simply making sure the equipment and the controls sequences work according to the plans and by being clear about the responsibilities of the contractor and the independent commissioning agent,” he said.

ARCHITECTS STRIVE FOR PRODUCTIVE, LIVABLE SPACES

Although architects and HVAC contractors may occasionally find themselves at odds over issues, such as designing enough space for duct runs, they are actually partners in one of the most important aspects of sustainability — creating quality spaces that help keep the people who work in them healthy and productive.

Rand Ekman, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) fellow and associate principal and chief sustainability officer of HKS, and architectural firm, noted this is important not only from a human perspective but also from a financial one.

“More productive, more livable spaces can be leased for higher rates and for longer time frames,” he said. “And that very much matters in the corporate world.”

Creating quality space from a ventilation and thermal perspective is also a key to those who embrace the International WELL Building Institute’s WELL Building Standard, which is designed to advance health and well-being in buildings and communities globally.

“Companies want quality people in their spaces, and elevating the sustainability of their buildings helps them deliver a quality workplace that will attract quality people,” Ekman said.

He sees particular interest in technologies that give individuals the ability to manage the comfort of their own space in terms of lighting, ventilation, and temperature.

Ekman added that sustainability is an area in which just about everyone involved is still learning, but there is a good foundation of contractors who understand its importance. In most of HKS’ projects, the firm does business with contractor partners with whom it already has relationships or seeks out contractors that have done projects similar to what it’s trying to deliver.

In Ekman’s estimation, the more everyone involved in a project works toward the same set of objectives and outcomes, the better off everyone will be, and the happier the owner will be. The key is to bring the players to the table early.

“All of the challenges are solvable if everyone understands the objectives,” he said.  “My advice is to get to the table as early as possible, and be an adviser to the team.”

 However, he noted, this simple task can be quite challenging because, at the earliest stages of a project, there may not be a contract in place yet.

“It understandably becomes a question of how much time anyone is able and willing to devote to it without a contract,” he said.

FACILITY MANAGERS ESSENTIAL FOR POST-OCCUPANCY SUCCESS

Many companies are investing in smart, sustainable buildings, but the smartest building in the world is still just a building without effective people to run it.

According to a recent report, “Sustainable Construction: Realizing the Opportunities for Built Environment Professionals,” from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), “There is substantial evidence that buildings do not perform as well as anticipated at the design stage. Post-occupancy evaluations showed that actual energy consumption in buildings was often twice as much as predicted.”

Jed Link, spokesman for the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), noted that a lack of ongoing proper building operation can cause the gap between expected performance and actual performance. As a result, IFMA has created the first certification for facility managers who are working in sustainable buildings: Sustainability Facility Professional® (SFP).

“This credential is geared toward people and making sure the FM [facility manager] professionals who are running sustainable buildings can demonstrate their knowledge and experience and help make sure that any performance gap disappears,” Link said.

According to him, the certification is IFMA’s fastest-growing program with about 1,000 individuals certified worldwide since its inception in 2011.

Link added that buildings are increasingly viewed as part of a corporation’s business plan rather than an entity outside of it. This has put a spotlight on the importance of skilled facility mangers. 

“Until recently, facility management had traditionally been a turnkey profession, but as buildings have become smarter, people have come to expect more from them,” Link noted. “Today, companies talk about wanting to accomplish certain things with their facilities. In the process, the role of the facility manager has become much more strategic.”

Last year, IFMA partnered with the RICS, integrating facility managers into conversations having to do with design for the first time.

“The risk of creating a sustainable building that is difficult or impossible to operate is no longer tenable,” Link said. “Companies are investing a lot of money in smart buildings and advanced building systems, and that is propelling facility managers higher in the conversation. That’s why you’re seeing facility management professionals becoming involved earlier in the process and getting a seat at the table when it comes to building design.”

At its heart, sustainability is a relatively new field, and the potential it holds is just beginning to be realized. But one thing is clear even in these early stages — the creation and maintenance of a sustainable building takes a dedicated group effort. 

THINK ABOUT THE STAKEHOLDERS

When it comes to today’s sustainability-oriented commercial building marketplace, Lise Laurin, founder and CEO, EarthShift Global, a sustainability consulting firm based in Kittery, Maine, has one piece of advice for HVAC contractors: think about stakeholders.

“[Sustainability] is a rare case where you can do something good for your business, your clients, and your community,” said Laurin, who was recently honored with the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Center for Life Cycle Assessment.

Laurin said major strides in HVAC efficiency have been made at the component level, and going forward, the biggest opportunities will be at the systems level as outlined in a 2016 report by the nonprofit and bipartisan Alliance to Save Energy.

“Contractors who understand the perspectives of architects, developers, owners, tenants, and other stakeholders can play a central (and profitable) role in achieving these gains,” Laurin said. “If you cultivate knowledge of advanced controls, system integration, and smart technologies, and learn some basic methods of sustainability cost-benefit analysis, such as life cycle assessment, you can provide new added-value services that help your customers and their clients achieve their goals.”

Taking a more stakeholder-oriented view can also help contractors align their business models with broader trends, she added. For example, improving the energy and water efficiency of a building can obviously benefit the owner, but wiser use of resources also benefits the surrounding community and downstream water users — that’s a positive for developers, owners, and tenants.

Occupants of the building can also benefit from sustainability measures. Laurin noted an increasing body of evidence suggests that clean buildings improve occupants’ efficiency and focus and cut down on health problems and related absenteeism.

“There are many effective ways to quantify comfort, which can be included in your thinking, and, again, shared with your customers and their clients,” Laurin said. “Even more broadly, look at how many companies are responding to consumer demands by leading change toward more sustainable practices — reducing water and chemical usage, promoting recycling, and encouraging suppliers to follow suit. With relatively modest steps, building owners can also inspire change with positive effects on their communities and their reputations.”

Publication date: 11/13/2017

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