This document provides a checklist of management practices and limited capital projects that can be implemented to improve the environmental performance of existing buildings. It focuses on achieving improvements through operational changes rather than major renovations. The checklist covers opportunities in areas like management, energy usage reduction strategies for lighting and HVAC, water conservation, transportation, material selection, waste reduction, and pollution prevention. Implementing items from this checklist can help create a plan to enhance the sustainability of a building with minimal disruption.

1. ManaGInG Green
Improving existing building performance
through management
T his guide focuses on achieving improved performance through management
practices and limited new capital expenditure or interruption to occupants.
Using This Guide
Following is a checklist of technologies and approaches that can be employed in
a building to improve environmental performance. The list is not exhaustive and
many of the items will not be appropriate in all circumstances.
This guide should be used in conjunction with the Developing Green guide, which
provides additional technologies and approaches suited to the refurbishment of
buildings. It will also be worth reviewing the Occupying Green guide, for tenant
improvement opportunities.
Use the checklist to identify opportunities and create a building improvement plan
for your building.

2. ManaGInG Green | OPPOrTUnITIeS
OPPOrTUnITIeS FOr BUILDInG ManaGeMenT

ManageMent
 Audits – audit the bills, practices and fittings of
energy, water and waste systems to benchmark
future improvements and identify specific
 Air-Conditioning Zones – reduce zone sizes
so that less space is air-conditioned when
occupancy is less than full.
 Carbon Dioxide Sensors – Install to detect
improvement projects. Good consultants will be current levels of air quality (CO2 is a key
capable of identifying many opportunities with indicator) and determine how much extra fresh
the likes of boilers, chillers, air-handling systems air is required.
and controls.
 Heat Loss/Gain – Insulate and use high-
 Targets – Set against current performance and performance glazing and shading to avoid loss or
industry benchmarks. gain during heating or cooling phases, respectively.
 Management Guidelines – Develop to support  Infiltration – Draught-proof to stop cool or
efficient management of sustainability practices in warm air entering during heating or cooling
the building. phases, respectively.
 Building Users’ Guide – Produce to enable  Duct Insulation – ensure sufficient insulation.
occupants to understand how to best operate
the building from their perspective.  Smart Elevator Controls – To optimize efficiency,
e.g. destination controls.
 Building Management Control System –

Upgrade the computer BMCS to operate
building systems more efficiently and provide energy – ligHting
performance data.  Office Lighting – Use T5 Triphosphur fluorescent
 ‘Smart Metering’ – Install energy and water lamps with high-frequency ballasts (less flicker) in
meters to provide real-time data of the energy high-efficiency fittings. avoid incandescent bulbs
and water usage of specific systems, such as and low voltage downlights (unless new high-
the elevators, air-conditioning, etc. This can be efficiency models) and explore LeD as the costs
supplied live to the BMCS for monitoring. Water reduce over time. aim for less than 1.5 Watts
meters can enable leak detection. per meter 2 per 100 lux (SI unit of illumiance
and luminous emittance).
 Re-Commissioning – ensure building
systems are currently working to the level of  Controls – Install timers to turn lights off,
performance intended. occupancy sensors to turn on lights without
the use of light switches and daylight sensors
 Building Users’ Survey – Survey occupants to enable dimming of perimeter lighting when
to understand how the building is performing natural light levels are good
for them, particularly with regard to Indoor
environmental Quality (IeQ).  Zoning – Use small zones (ie 1,000 SF) to
minimize the number of lights turned on when

one person enters a dark office.
energy – Heating,Ventilation and air-  Task Lighting – Use lower ambient light levels
Conditioning (HVaC) combined with task lighting at workstations.
 HVAC Upgrades – Identify high-performance  ‘De-lamp’ – Where light levels are high, remove a
options for installation at time of upgrade. proportion of fluorescent tubes.
 Variable Speed Drives – added to pumps  Lighting Levels – reduce to minimum safety levels
and fans, these adjust speeds to accommodate in places such as fire stairs and parking garages.
required flow rather than continually operating

at a high rate.
 ‘Economy Cycle’ – When outside air is a suitable energy – otHer
temperature and humidity, it can be circulated  Tenancy Meters – Install for separate tenancies
through the building without chilling or heating. to help tenants manage consumption.
This greater amount of fresh outdoor air has a  Power Factor Correction – Install to improve
well-being benefit for occupants. efficiency of electrical devices.
 Waste Air-Conditioning – avoid air-conditioning  ‘Green Power’ – Purchase power produced by
during unoccupied hours and in spaces that renewable means (e.g. wind or solar). ‘Green
don’t require it, such as ancillary spaces. Consider Power’ should complement, and not be a
a slightly higher temperature set point. substitute for, good energy efficiency.

3. ManaGInG Green | OPPOrTUnITIeS

Water
 Leak Reporting Procedure – For building
occupiers, cleaners, security, etc.
 transPort
 Bicycles – Provide storage and changing facilities.
 High Efficiency Fittings and Fixtures – replace
the likes of taps and showerheads. Install flow
restrictors on existing taps.
 Toilets – Upgrade to efficient dual flush
 Materials
 Tenant Improvements – see Tenant
Improvement checklist in Occupying Green
guide. This includes finishes.
models, e.g. 6/4.1L flushes, 6 liters for solids,  Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) – avoid
4.1 liters for liquids. these air-polluting emissions from some materials,
 Waterless Urinals – Install those that use a such as composite timber products (e.g. MDF
chemical or oil trap and do not have a water and particle board), carpet and underlay,
supply pipe. These typically save 15,000 liters adhesives, paints and furniture upholstery.
of water per year per urinal (Investa Property  Timber – Use Forest Stewardship Council
Group). Otherwise, convert existing units with (FSC)-certified timber. This is a global and highly
‘waterless urinal’ microbial tablets, prepare waste regarded standard for sustainable timber and
pipes accordingly and disconnect the water supply timber products. Otherwise, use plantation or
 Fire Sprinklers – Collect test water in holding recycled timbers. Do not use rainforest timbers
tanks and reuse. or timbers that may be supplied through the
black market.
 Rainwater – Collect on roofs for use in toilets
and irrigation.  PVC – avoid due to toxicity in production and
other lifecycle impacts. Substitute pipes, cables,
 Greywater (waste water without feces) –
etc. with other more benign plastics, such as
Collect, process and re-use for toilet flushing or
HDPe (High-density polyethylene)
irrigation.
 Recycled Content and Recyclability – Choose
 Blackwater (waste water with feces) – Collect,
materials with a high recycled content and/
process and re-use for toilet flushing or irrigation.
or that can easily be recycled after use. This
 Stormwater – Minimize discharge from site by helps ‘Close the Loop’ on materials. Otherwise,
using retention tanks, and maximizing permeable choose those that are biodegradable and
landscaping surfaces and ability of the site to so return to the ecosystem. Design for
absorb. disassembly, meaning that materials can easily be
 Plants – Use species that require little water, drip separated for reuse or recycling at the end of
irrigate below the ground surface and use soil their current use. This often means mechanical
moisture sensors. rather than chemical fixings.

 Flexibility – Design for flexibility to enable the
building to adapt to different uses over time with
Waste minimal refurbishment.
 Operational Recycling – Install facilities to collect
and store recyclable materials, such as metal,  Maintenance – Use materials that require
glass, plastic, paper, cardboard and even organic minimal maintenance over their life cycle.
waste. These might be separated or the dry  Construction waste – Design and document
materials might be ‘co-mingled’ depending on the to minimize wastage in construction, e.g. use
requirements of available removal services. standard product sizes.
 Fluorescent Tubes – recycle as they contain  Cleaning Products – Use biodegradable, non-
mercury, which is toxic to humans. toxic products with no phenolic compounds or
 Tenant Improvement Waste Management petroleum solvents.
Guide – Provide to tenants when they are doing
improvements.

Pollution
 Refrigerants – Use non-ozone-depleting
substances. replace chillers that use substances
such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Colliers International also produces a Green Guide
for Developers and Occupiers. Please contact a
Colliers Professional to learn more or go to www.
colliersmn.com.
 Smokers – Provide places for people to smoke
away from building air intakes, entrances and
circulation areas.
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