High Performance Buildings
A high-performance building or green building incorporates a variety of sustainability features such as energy and water efficiency, natural stormwater management and indoor environmental quality. A high-performance building achieves maximum performance over its full life cycle in the following areas:
- Minimal energy consumption
- Minimal atmospheric emissions
- Minimal discharge of harmful wastes
- Minimal negative impacts of site ecosystems
- Maximum quality of the indoor environment
Changes in the way buildings are sited, designed, built, maintained and renovated will reduce lifetime costs of buildings, while improving the economic, environmental and human productivity performance. A high performance building is less expensive and easier to operate and maintain over its lifetime. Most importantly, high performance buildings are more energy efficient, thereby significantly reducing environmental impact.
The Green Building Council is a national non-profit organization founded in 1993 to promote the design and construction of buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. The Green Building Council is the developer and administrator of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), which serves as a green building rating system. The rating system is a performance-based rating system to measure how “green” a building has been designed and constructed. Points are earned by complying with environmental friendly requirements. LEED has created an Integrated Design System (IDS) to produce a cost effective, high-performance building where all systems and components work together to produce overall functionality and environmental performance while meeting the needs of the owner.
There are a multitude of Zurn and Eaton products that qualify for LEED credits. To find out more information on how their water and energy conservation products can help your company achieve green initiatives and increase your ROI, visit their Web sites.
