A Facility Manager's Guide to LEED-EB O&M Rating System

This article was originally published in Maintenance Solutions. 

By Ryan T. Evans, P.E.

Since 1998, maintenance and engineering managers have had a valuable metric for measuring the greenness of their institutional and commercial buildings. The U.S. Green Buildings Council (USGBC) created the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system for new construction and major renovation projects. As a result, it really was not suited for evaluating the greenness of existing buildings. To resolve this issue, the USGBC released the first version of LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) in 2004. This rating system provided a comprehensive set of prerequisites and credits designed around a building's maintenance and operations functions. It was less concerned with design and construction.

Although a new version of the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED-EB: O&M) is expected next year, the current version of this rating system – the 2009 edition – is rife with manager- and operator-driven tasks that focus on optimizing a department's operational performance and reducing its environmental footprint.

Managers in all types of facilities can benefit their departments by examining the key elements of LEED-EB O&M, as well as the process for planning a building certification. Whether or not managers choose to pursue full certification, they can use key elements of the rating system to identify low-hanging fruit — steps toward sustainability that are readily achievable with minimal investment of resources.

Read the full article here for an extensive overview of the rating system.

Who is Defining “Green”?

We’ve talked about different green certifications for cleaning equipment, products and chemicals, but who is really behind these certifications? Where do they come from? Advance wants to introduce you to the major industry associations and government cleaning standards and guidelines behind them:

• US Green Building Council/LEED: The LEED Green Building Rating Systems were developed by the US Green Building Council. LEED-EB (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings) provides guidelines for how to develop, adopt and maintain a policy for the use of janitorial equipment that maximizes reduction of building contaminants with minimum environmental impact. Green cleaning can also contribute in the Innovation category in three other LEED systems: LEED-NC (for New Construction); LEED-CI (for Commercial Interiors); and LEED-CS (for Core and Shell).
• ASTM E-1971: The American Society for Testing and Materials’ “Standard Guide on Stewardship for Cleaning Commercial and Institutional Buildings” covers procedures to assist owners and operators of commercial and institutional buildings in the stewardship of cleaning and housekeeping operations.
• NIOSH/EPA: The reference guide, “Building Air Quality: A Guide for Building Owners and Facility Managers,” documents in Step 5 how to develop and implement a plan for facility operations and maintenance.
• OSHA: Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act requires employers to “furnish to each employee a place of employment which is free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees.”
• Environmentally Preferable Product Purchasing Policies: Multiple industries and government organizations are developing recommendations for environmentally preferable purchasing, including ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and state and local governments.

Understanding Green Certifications for Cleaning Equipment and Products

There are multiple green certifications for cleaning equipment, products and chemicals, which makes it difficult to decipher and select a cleaning solution to fit your application needs while adhering to your environmental goals. To help understand a few of them, Advance defines the following green certifications:

• Green Seal – Describing its mission as providing science-based environmental certification standards, Green Seal certifies products in more than 40 categories—from household cleaning products to floor finishes and strippers for facility maintenance. Green Seal also established GS-42, a standard that provides guidance and certification for green cleaning services.
• EcoLogo – EcoLogo is recognized worldwide as a standard and certification mark for over a dozen broad product categories, including cleaning and janitorial supplies. EcoLogo standards address environmental attributes throughout the entire life cycle of the product or service and also require that certified products meet performance requirements to ensure they perform as well as conventional alternative products.
• EPA Design for the Environment – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) environmental program awards the DfE label to products in 15 broad categories based on the review of the ingredients in individual products. Applied to products such as commercial floor cleaners, a DfE label means that in the EPA’s judgment and based on current knowledge, the product contains only those ingredients that pose the least concern among chemicals in their class.
• Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance Rating System (LEED-EBOM) – LEED-EBOM contains the most specific equipment recommendations of any green cleaning standard. Specifically, the system’s IEQ Credit 3.4 - Sustainable Cleaning Equipment standard includes requirements ranging from low operating noises to engine efficiency.

For more information on any of these green certifications, please visit our green cleaning solutions page.

Floor Cleaning Equipment With Green Cleaning Capabilities Maximizes Facility Safety

There are a variety of green cleaning standards, including LEED-EB, ASTM E-1971-05 and GS-42, that address safety issues, including noise control, machine vibration, user fatigue, chemical exposure and proper training in green product use. When used correctly, floor cleaning equipment with green cleaning capabilities can enhance the safety of cleaning personnel, other facility occupants and the facility itself, through the following:

• Noise Control features ensure quiet operation, increasing operator safety and the ability to clean during business hours, which in turn reduces costs for HVAC, lighting and security.
• Ergonomic Design reduces excessive machine vibration and other inferior design elements, minimizing user fatigue and repetitive motor symptoms.
• Flexible Cleaning System allows operators to use fewer machines and reduce water and detergent consumption. With a touch of a button, users can easily switch between chemical-free, water-only cleaning and varying degrees of detergent, down pressure and flow rates.
• Battery-Powered Equipment is an ideal alternative to the noise and emissions of propane-powered equipment, eliminating fuel emissions and enhancing air quality.

Improve Indoor Air Quality with Green Floor Cleaning Equipment

Floor cleaning equipment with green cleaning capabilities can contribute directly to indoor air quality/indoor environment quality (IAQ/IEQ). Facility owners can employ floor cleaning vacuums, carpet extractors and scrubbers with sealed gel batteries:

Vacuum Cleaners: The LEED-EB (Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings) requirements specify that vacuum cleaners are capable of capturing 96% of particulates 0.3 microns in size and meet the requirements of the Carpet & Rug Institute Seal of Approval Program. CRI-certified vacuums release no more than 100 micrograms of dust particles per cubic meter into the surrounding air.

Carpet Extractors: Carpet extractors with green cleaning capabilities significantly reduce drying time and help prevent mold. They also minimize the use of water and detergent while cleaning. Per LEED-EBOM, carpet extractors should be CRI-Seal of Approval certified.

Sealed Gel Batteries: Automatic scrubbers that meet green cleaning requirements utilize environmentally-preferable gel batteries or maintenance-free AGM batteries. These batteries are completely sealed to eliminate acid spills that can occur with wet-acid batteries. This design also minimizes vapor emissions during charging, and, if equipped with an on-board charger, allow non-hazardous charging anywhere in a facility.

With the above types of green floor cleaning equipment, facility owners can ensure they are complying with green cleaning standards, while maximizing cleaning efficiency.

Defining Green Cleaning

“Green cleaning” can encompass many different factors, ranging from various types of cleaning products to sustainable cleaning practices. However, before selecting a “green” cleaning solution or “green” floor cleaning equipment, it is important to take a step back and answer the underlying question, “What does green cleaning really mean to your business, your employees, your budget and the environment?” Are you looking to gain LEED (Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design) certification for your facility, or simply want to be sure your facility is the best it can be?

As a leading manufacturer of “green” floor cleaning equipment, Advance is committed to offering products that meet or exceed industry and government standards for green cleaning. With a wide range of products and green cleaning solutions, Advance is dedicated to developing floor cleaning equipment that will help you employ effective, green cleaning practices including:

• Maintain or enhance indoor air/environmental quality
• Improve worker and occupant safety
• Ensure sustainability
• Reduce the cost of cleaning

So how will you achieve these results? Stick around, and we’ll be happy to show you!