Whenever new standards are adopted in the building industry they can represent challenges for building project teams, and that spells opportunities for product manufacturers, especially those making products with an impact on renewable energy generation and energy-efficiency.

The EnergyStar program will become more stringent next year and the LEED Green Building Rating System is set for an update in 2012 with public comment coming sooner. Public comment gives U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) members a chance to influence the new version of LEED for its rating systems on both the residential and commercial side of the business.

In January 2011, Energy Star will be changing from the current version to v3.0. One of the changes includes measuring residential buildings from a fixed benchmark of 85 on the HERS Index. The resulting HERS Index will then be adjusted by a Size Adjustment Factor -- or size penalty -- and that becomes the target HERS Index for the building.

According to one LEED Homes Provider in Florida, E3 Building Sciences, modeling under the new requirements for Energy Star can cost between $1,200 and $6,000 depending on the complexity of the design, which means about a 66% increase in costs under the coming Energy Star 3.0 version. Product manufacturers with solutions to help lower energy consumption in buildings can gain market share and increase sales.

As with all project teams trying to be more energy efficient, greater attention to the building envelope, lighting and HVAC will help project teams achieve the coming stricter Energy Star requirements. However, it's not just solar panel makers or insulation manufacturers that can gain by the coming changes in LEED and Energy Star. Manufacturers of water conservation products can also assist with not only the water use reduction program, WaterStar, but also the new Energy Star requirements because any hot water saved is energy saved, as it takes energy to heat water.

Check back with the Green Apple Group Blog for more updates and the impact LEED and EnergyStar on product manufacturers, as well as insights on the various other 1000s of green product rating programs out there in the market today.

 

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