Services with a focus on sustainability
We offer services customized to the needs of each client.
Our mission is to assist you in defining and achieving your environmental goals.
LEED Certification
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Documented Sustainability
Certifying your building under LEED guidelines can reduce energy and water use by up to 30% and reduce construction waste by up to 75%. (Source: USGBC)
The LEED Certification Process
Our team of LEED consultants work with our clients to obtain certification through the following steps:
LEED Feasibility Study
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Review of the LEED Minimal Program Requirements
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Initial meeting with the Design Team to define and clarify the LEED pre-requisites
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Periodic meetings to discuss options and strategies in seeking additional LEED Credits.
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LEED Checklist established with strategies and relative costs to obtain the targeted Credits.
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Technical assistance in calculating compliance
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Presentation of the Feasibility Study that includes the final LEED Checklist, your map to LEED Certification..
LEED Consulting - Design Phase
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Introduction to the LEED rating system.
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Roles and responsibilities.
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Analysis of the LEED Pre-requisites and Credits (from the LEED Checklist)
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Gather project data for LEED calculations (area, occupation, systems, etc.)
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Review of LEED-referenced standards
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Assistance in documenting the LEED requirements in the specifications.
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Material selection
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Compliance monitoring during the design phase.
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Bi-weekly meetings with the design team.
LEED Consulting - Construction Phase
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Introduction to the LEED rating system.
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Roles and responsibilities.
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Documentation guidance for construction phase compliance including:
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Erosion and sedimentation control
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IAQ during construction.
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Construction Waste Management
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Recycling
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Material selection and storage
LEED Certification Management
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Project registration with the Green Building Certification Institute. (GBCI)
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Design phase documentation of compliance with Pre-requisites and Credits.
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Management and submission of all documentation related to the Design Phase Submittal to the GBCI.
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Construction phase documentation of compliance with Pre-requisites and Credits.
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Management and submission of all documentation related to the Construction Phase Submittal to the GBCI.
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Management of Clarifications requested by the GBCI and Appeals as requested by the project owner.
Commissioning
Verfication of the performance of building systems
What is Commissioning?
Commissioning is a quality assurance program that verifies that a building's systems are designed, installed, and perform in accordance to the owner requirements.
Fundamental Commissioning of a building's energy-related systems is a LEED pre-requisite for all new construction projects and variations of the commissioning process are part of the certification requirements for existing buildings.
The systems required to undergo the commissioning process include the HVAC&R systems and their associated controls, the hot water system, lighting and lighting controls, and any renewable energy systems including solar hot water, photovoltaic, and wind-turbine systems.
The commissioning process has proven to be an excellent value for the owner with a return on investment for new construction averaging 4 years and 1 year or less for existing buildings.
Commissioning in the Design Phase
The Owner's Project Requirements
The commissioning process begins by the development of the Owner's Project Requirements (OPR) for the building with the assistance of the Commissioning Authority (CxA). All future decision-making during the design, construction, and acceptance phases should be based on the OPR.
The Commissioning Plan
The CxA develops the Commissioning Plan early in the design phase and includes the goals and objectives of the commissioning process, general project information, a list of the commissioned systems, the roles and responsibilities of the commissioning team, the communications and documentation requirements, and the activities and products to be completed in the Design and Construction phases.
The Basis of Design
The Systems Designers develop the Basis of Design to document the compliance of their system's design with the OPR and the LEED standards. The BOD includes a narrative description of the systems, the primary design assumptions, calculations, and the referenced standards. The CxA reviews the BOD for clarity and completeness
The Commissioning Requirements
The CxA develops the Commissioning Requirements to be included in the bid documents. They give clear direction to the Systems Installers about their roles and responsibilities in the commissioning process. They include the equipment submittal, installation documentation, and the functional test procedure requirements.
Commissioning in the Construction Phase
Equipment Submittals
A review of the equipment submittals provided by the systems subcontractors before any equipment is purchased to verify compliance with the construction documents and the OPR
Installation Inspections
Periodic inspections at the jobsite to verify that the equipment is being installed in compliance with the plans and specifications.
Issues Log
Problems related to the design and installation of the commissioned systems and the resolution of these issues are documented in an Issues Log. It is updated throughout the design and construction phases.
The Systems Manual
A Systems Manual with a focus on efficient operation of the building systems is compiled by the CxA. It will include final version of the Basis of Design, system single-line diagrams, the as-built sequences of operations, control drawings, original set-points, and operating instructions for integrated building systems
Functional Performance Testing
The Commissioning Authority will lead and witness the Functional Performance Testing of the commissioned systems as performed by the Systems Installers. He will review the test procedures and the results of testing upon their conclusion.
Final Commissioning Report
The Commissioning Authority will complete a Final Commissioning Report at the end of the functional performance testing of the commissioned systems. This report will summarize all of the findings recorded during the entire commissioning process.
It will include a history of any system deficiencies identified and how they were resolved, systems performance test results and evaluation, and confirmation indicating whether the commissioned systems meet the Owner’s Project Requirements, Basis of Design, and contract documents.
An executive summary of this report is submitted to the GBCI for approval,
Operations Review
The Commissioning Authority will return to interview the owner, operators and occupants of the building within 10 months after substantial completion. This review will help to resolve operational problems with the building and equipment warranty issues.
Energy Simulation
A tool to maximize energy efficiency
The Energy Simulation is a valuable tool to assess the energy consumption of a building and quantify the savings possible in the proposed designed.Used correctly, an Energy Simulation can help optimize the building project and allows the project team to prioritize investments in strategies that will have the greatest effect on the building's energy consumption.
LEED requires the development of energy simulation if any of the possible points in Optimize Energy Performance credit are sought.
A simulation is created early in the design phase in order to estimate the level of annual energy use of the project and demonstrate compliance with the LEED prerequisite that requires a minimum of 5% reduction in its annual energy consumption when compared to a baseline building (or 3% in the case of a Major Renovation project).
Modifications to the envelope and building systems in additional simulations allow the project team to explore design options to maximize energy efficiency.
Medição e Verificação
Measurement & Verification
Monitoring energy use by system
The purpose of the Measurement and Verification Plan (M & V Plan) is to provide the owner and building operators evidence that the systems related to energy consumption are operating with a performance as designed.
The verification of energy performance will be done by recording the actual energy consumption measured using sub-meters or the building automation system (BAS). These data will be used to create the Calibrated Energy Simulation of actual energy consumption over the period of a year.
Summary Process M & V
Novva Solutions works with the owner to help establish the objectives and scope of the M & V process.
Strategies are developed based on the type of construction, occupation and schedules, systems equipment and the owner's budget considerations. Energy usage data will be collected by the Building Automation System via sensors and sub-measurement of the main systems and equipment.
The Energy Simulation developed to demonstrate compliance with the Minimum Efficiency requirements of LEED Certification is used as the Baseline Energy Simulation.
Actual energy consumption and demand data will be entered into the Calibrated Simulation over the M&V period of twelve months. Weather and occupational data are entered into both simulations in order to equalize these variables and remove their effect on the overall energy use. This allows a review of the predicted versus actual use of energy during the M&V Period broken down by systems and subsystems.
We also provide a Corrective Action Plan to be implemented if the energy consumption reduction targets are not being met. These actions are implemented by the project's Operations & Maintenance Staff.
GBC Zero Energy Certification
Proven self-sufficiency in renewable energy generation
