Enhancing efficiency and sustainability through collaboration
Seeking strategies for energy efficiency, cost savings, greenhouse gas reduction, and occupant wellness? NORESCO’s sustainability consulting services provide practical solutions that align with our customers’ goals and values. Through an integrated design process, we improve the performance of buildings, including federal courthouses, emergency facilities, corporate headquarters, and municipal offices, setting examples for public and private organizations.
Energy Master Planning
An energy master plan is a working roadmap that plans, tracks, updates, and verifies results of sustainability efforts. To guide the path forward, we treat an energy master plan as a “living” document that is adjusted over time as priorities evolve and new opportunities are discovered.
NORESCO’s master planning services focus on:
- Benchmarking facilities and generating data on current carbon footprints
- Developing greenhouse gas reduction targets and other energy goals
- Uncovering opportunities to improve facility management and reduce energy usage
- Providing annual updates on energy usage and greenhouse gas reductions
- Recommending training, operations, and maintenance practices
- Facilitating green-building certification and recognition
- Identifying incentive and grant opportunities
- Reducing energy consumption by developing an energy-conscious culture
Lifecycle Assessment Modeling
NORESCO uses lifecycle assessment modeling to understand the environmental impacts of building materials over a facility’s lifespan. We review raw material procurement, manufacturing, construction, operation, and decommissioning. Our evaluations cover global warming potential, ozone layer depletion, acidification, water pollution, and non-renewable energy resource depletion.
We also conduct payback analyses, comparing benefits to initial costs. For projects with strict payback limits, we evaluate mechanical systems, building enclosures, and energy conservation measures using lifecycle assessment to help our customers balance energy objectives and budgets.
Building Performance Testing
NORESCO verifies that sustainability and wellness design strategies function properly using building performance testing per industry standards. We comply with green-building rating systems like LEED®, Green Globes®, and the WELL Building Standard®. Our tests cover indoor air, water, light, and acoustic quality to enhance comfort.
Certification Consulting & Facilitation
Using our advanced experience with green-building rating systems, we help customers understand the requirements and develop strategies to achieve certification goals. We collaborate with customers to align their goals and values with the appropriate rating system.
Rating systems NORESCO evaluates include:
- LEED® for Building Design and Construction (LEED® BD+C)
- LEED® for Interior Design and Construction (LEED® ID+C)
- LEED® for Building Operations and Maintenance (LEED® EB: O&M)
- LEED® for Neighborhood Development (LEED® ND)
- LEED® Dynamic Plaque Certification
- Enterprise Green Communities
- Green Globes
- Living Building Challenge
- Fitwel
- National Green Building Standard (NGBS)
- Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS)
- WELL Building Standard® and Performance Verification
