Green Strategies For Existing Buildings

The interests of the developer and tenant have never aligned. Developers want to make money (by reducing construction costs) and tenants want to save it (by reducing operating costs). Because developers have historically won that battle, much of the nation’s existing office space isn’t green.

That doesn’t mean that office buildings can’t be made green. In fact, there are some of established road maps to make the process easier — the Energy Star Label for Buildings program and LEED-EB Operations and Maintenance (LEED-EB O&M).

Energy Star is the place to start for two reasons: First, Energy Star was developed initially for office space. Second, tackling energy is the best way to save money on energy costs that can be put towards other green measures.