From the Editor
Still skeptical about the speed with which LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (LEED-EBOM) certification is gaining market acceptance? Maybe some data from your peers will change your mind.

Recently, Building Operating Management magazine surveyed several hundred facility managers and commercial building owners about sustainable operations and maintenance. One of the more surprising results from the survey was that 71 of the nearly 400 respondents (18 percent!) had used LEED-EBOM to certify one or more of their facilities.

To me, that number is surprisingly high — especially when you consider that as recently as 2006, only 17 facilities earned certification over that entire calendar year.

Just as interesting as the number of respondents who reported a LEED-EBOM certification was the reasons they did so. About 70 percent said the main reason they pursued certification is to be able to compare themselves favorably with other organizations. One respondent commented in the “Other” category that his or her reason for certification was that it is a useful tool to enhance the organization’s credibility. Another went so far as to reveal that a tenant required certification.

These reasons seem to jibe with anecdotal evidence from the industry that owners of multi-tenant facilities who are hoping to attract tenants are using LEED-EBOM much more frequently. They recognize certification as a competitive advantage against similar buildings in their areas.

As always, I’d love to hear from you? What’s you LEED-EBOM certification story?

Cheers,

Green Strategies
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GreenTech Conference & Exposition

An Introduction to LEED-EB

This presentation by Jim Newman of the Newman Consulting Group at the 2010 GreenTech Conference & Exposition delves into the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance rating system and provides facility managers tips and tricks on how to achieve many of the individual credits.