To LEED or not to LEED: A LEED Maintenance Perspective

To the layman, it sounds great when one person tells another that they are going to be moving forward with a green building project. Perhaps it is to install reflective film on the windows or solar PV panels on the exterior curtain wall of their building. But have you ever thought of the maintenance cost beyond the payback period? What happens when the curtain wall that houses your solar panels begins to leak? Is this covered under the warranty of the panel? Is the only thing outlined in the warranty document associated with the power generating function of the panel and not of the water tightness ability of that panel connected to the building? Deferred maintenance associated with those types of improvements could far outreach the initial payback of the improvement. But how do you track this type of maintenance? Do you utilize BIMS or a G3 Systems Property Diagnosis program?

USGBC has many criteria outlining the ability for a given building to become certified and at various levels and the same accreditation process for a person that wants to be a LEED professional, but where is the maintenance tracking? Look into those kinds of angles before jumping into a Green project. Know what the next 20 years of your building is up against. I’m not saying buy a crystal ball, but really use an end-to-end thought process to ascertain what year 20 and 25 and 30 will look like to your asset.

Find your solution at www.g3.com/property.

James E. Hicks
Director, Services Division