Older Buildings Can Deliver Higher Performance

Existing commercial buildings offer the most opportunity for energy and water savings, and for reducing the total environmental impact of our built environment.  Existing buildings represent 95% of the market in any year.  Certainly new buildings should be green, but we can't rely on new construction to upgrade our stock in any reasonable time frame.

I recently toured the renovated headquarters of Messer Construction, a well-respected regional commercial builder headquartered in Cincinnati and operating in surrounding states.  Messer's single-story building is over 30 years old and houses about 75 employees. 

A five-person team of Messer employees implemented the US Green Building Council's LEED Existing Buildings Operations & Maintenance process to upgrade systems and educate their associates on the benefits of new behaviors.

Some of the cost-effective changes:

• New high-efficiency, low-mercury fluorescent lighting on occupancy sensors and timers


• CO2 sensors for existing ventilation systems deliver fresh air as needed


• Low-flow aerators on lavatory sinks and low-flow flush valves on existing fixtures


• Recommissioning rooftop HVAC units brought them up to spec performance.  This is almost always a fast-payback strategy.


• Stepped up recycling efforts with employee engagement


• Green cleaning and maintenance procedures

The results?

• 17% less electricity use


• 48% less gas


• 56% less water


• 70% of all waste is recycled now

These accomplishments translate into savings of about $36,000 per year and delivered a 15 month payback. You don't need to build new or invest a lot to go green.  Look at your own facility operating costs and imagine how much you could be saving in less than two years.  Get started today.