Sometimes the highest standards are the ones you set for yourself.
That’s the approach city council is taking when it comes to building the most efficient buildings it can, both fiscally and environmentally.
In 2006, when council adopted its Green Building Policy, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) was at the forefront of efficiency certification and council was quick to sign on.
Now the city, as well as several private developers and homebuilders, find certification and the heavy burden of documentation that goes with it cumbersome.
A good example is the Oliver Woods Community Centre. While 66 per cent more efficient than similar buildings, it cost taxpayers almost $150,000 in LEED certification costs and an untold amount of staff resources.
The newly built Fire Hall No. 4 in Chase River cost $55,000.
By departing from LEED certification, council will now be able to tailor future buildings, which will likely include a new city hall annex, to its own environmental policy, while still pursuing provincial and federal goals to achieve carbon neutrality.
New buildings will be just as efficient as any LEED standard, just without the shiny badge. Clean air and water for future generations is the prize.
That isn’t to say LEED is a thing of the past. Its point system is valued industry-wide and has created a revolution in the reduction of greenhouse gases. It has created a new benchmark.
But building to equal standards without LEED certification is a good example of council looking for ways to keep costs, and taxes, down without cutting services.
It’s also a good lead to follow for average citizens who want make their own homes more efficient.
Nanaimo News Bulletin
