In addition to LEED, there are many other green rating and design programs promoted by various organizations and agencies. Some, such as B3 and Minnesota GreenStar, are unique to Minnesota, while others are national, or international ratings and guidelines.
The Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines emerged from the Buildings, Benchmarks, and Beyond (B3) Project (www.msbg.umn.edu). B3 monitors energy use in public buildings in order to establish efficiency benchmarks. The MSBG was created to guide building professionals in increasing efficiency of new and existing buildings. Minnesota legislation requires all building projects funded with state bond money to follow the B3-MSBG.
The MSBG consists as a rating system as well as specific strategies and pertinent information for achieving a rating that complies with the legislation. It is organized by the following categories:
The Guideline requirements include:
Energy Star (www.energystar.gov) is a certification system designed by the US Department of Energy and the US Environmental Protection Agency that began in 1992. The Energy Star label is awarded to specific products and buildings that meet strict energy efficiency standards. The goal of the Energy Star program is to reduce pollution through energy efficiency while improving indoor air quality and saving the building owner money, and is for both commercial and residential buildings. As well as providing a good return on investment, there are also tax credits available for some Energy Star products and systems.
More than one million homes have qualified for the energy star label. New homes must meet standards in these areas:
Energy Star qualified homes are verified by a third-party auditor and are 15% more energy efficient than what the International Residential Code requires.
Energy Star offers homeowners assistance in evaluating and improving their homes energy efficiency. From do-it-yourself programs like the “Home Energy Yardstick” to professional whole house overhauls like “Home Performance with Energy Star” there are a variety of ways to improve the environmental impact of your home as well as your energy bills!
Minnesota Green Star is a certification program for remodeling and new construction that is made by Minnesotans for Minnesotans. It takes general green concepts and applies them to the upper Midwest climate, regional natural resources, and local building codes. Building professionals complete MN Green Star training and results are evaluated by a third party. Three levels of certification (bronze, silver, and gold) are based on:
Five concepts of green building:
As they apply to the eight components of building process:
MN Green Star is sponsored by the Builders Association of the Twin Cities, the National Association of Remodeling Industry-MN, the Green Institute, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
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