Rising energy costs and growing environmental awareness among tenants are giving building owners and managers additional incentives to demonstrate their sustainability credentials.
A BOMA Best certification is a widely recognized and attainable certification when making use of the right support and tools. Ottawa-based Envari understands what is required for certification and provides the best energy solutions to improve building efficiency and help property managers fast-track certification.
“The latest version of BOMA Best requirements emphasizes the importance of communicating environmental initiatives with tenants. Transparency between the two parties and introducing behavioural programs are becoming an important practice,” says Adnan Khokhar, Envari’s Chief Energy and Infrastructure Services Officer.
There are five levels of BOMA Best certification and working with an energy transformation specialist like Envari can mean the difference between achieving baseline and Platinum certification. In order to fast-track a certification, it is recommended to use a third-party specialist that understands the process and can accurately rank the property. Points are awarded based on the attributes of the building and its performance, as well as communicating green practices to its tenants.
Envari helps to achieve BOMA Best certification by providing the analysis and data needed to address any gaps the building may have for certification. Envari offers a range of services that help its clients make sizeable shifts in their energy usage based on smart data and implementing sustainable long-term solutions.
“The first step in optimizing your building’s energy consumption in understanding it through data,” says Khokhar.
Certification requires property managers to conduct a basic utility audit; however, more points can be gained by performing an ASHRAE Level 2 audit instead; this can also provide greater insight and data on where efficiencies can be found.
Envari also offers a dashboard service which gives building operators an up-to-the-minute picture of their property’s electricity, water and gas consumption.
“With greater comprehension of how a building is consuming energy, operators become empowered to optimize its usage,” says Khokhar.
The dashboard can also be used in a building’s lobby to communicate consumption and waste to tenants, along with any upcoming environmental initiatives; this can gain buildings additional points towards certification.
Metering and sub-metering can also make a significant difference in understanding and controlling a property’s consumption. Individual meters for high-consumption spaces such as server rooms or cafeterias can help control their usage during peak times and ensure they aren’t drawing excessive power when not in use.
By collecting and evaluating data, Envari can recommend and implement systems and tools that increase a property’s performance. The process results in sizable shifts in energy usage that benefits the bottom line and the environment, and also help to earn a higher BOMA Best certification level.
To learn more, visit Envari.com.
