With the growing social interest of “green construction” and the emergence of the government council USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council), we at Sapling are aware that architects and engineers are pushing for the development of LEED certified projects.

What is LEED?  LEED is a green building certification system, created by the USGBC to promote the “green” design, construction, operations, and maintenance solutions of building projects.  Certification is achieved by first meeting certain prerequisites for various categories, such as Sustainable Site and Energy and Atmosphere.  When these prerequisites are met, different options for earning points are available to building managers.  When the project has obtained a certain number of points, certification is granted.  This blog series will delve into the many ways Sapling can assist architects and engineers with achieving LEED certification for their specific projects.

Chapter 1: “LEED Certification in Commercial Interiors”

In commercial buildings, such as office buildings and warehouses, developing strategies in converting operations, maintenance, and activity to a LEED certification is becoming all the more popular. One of the many ways to develop this type of strategy is through changes in the facilities energy systems: heating, air conditioning, and lighting controls.  Converting a building’s energy systems to a LEED standard involves implementing systems that have better control over the operation of heaters, air conditioners, and lights.  A potential strategy for becoming more energy efficient, for example, is having controls that run these appliances at the most efficient output for the building.

So how does The Sapling Company provide assistance in improving the energy consumption of these appliances?  The answer is simple.  With one of Sapling’s Synchronized Clock Systems, an installed SMA 3000 Series Master Clock will have the ability to control power to these appliances, all on a timed schedule set up by the user.  When a part of the building is not in use or does not require these appliances to be active, Sapling’s SMA 3000 will cut the power to the lights, heating, or air conditioners at a specified time through the programmable relays.  With this feature, these appliances will not be creating any unnecessary energy consumption of the building, improving the efficiency of the facility’s energy systems.

For commercial interiors, reaching LEED certification status is looked at as a benchmark for the establishment.  Reducing the environmental footprint of the establishment yields benefits beyond improving the efficiency of the building.  With the use of Sapling’s Synchronized Clock Systems, equipped with a SMA 3000 Master Clock, commercial buildings become one step closer to being environmentally friendly and LEED certified.