Facility house owners and knowledge middle operators that seek to make their knowledge facilities more sustainable and power-efficient have many inexperienced standards to think about. Management in Power and Environmental Design and Green Globes are two certification options obtainable to knowledge facilities.
Each certifications use green knowledge middle standards to assess amenities. While they each look at power efficiencies in amenities, there are differences between the two in how they rating amenities, learn how to acquire certification and different areas.
What’s LEED certification?
Leadership in Power and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green constructing score system used around the globe and developed by the U.S. Inexperienced Constructing Council (USGBC). It supplies a framework for buildings and communities to create “wholesome, extremely environment friendly and price-saving green buildings,” in accordance with USGBC. There are two essential LEED certifications for knowledge facilities: LEED v4.1 Operations + Upkeep (O+M): Knowledge Facilities in combined-use buildings and LEED v4.1 Building Design and Development (BD+C): Knowledge Centers.
What is Green Globes certification?
Inexperienced Globes constructing certification is a inexperienced certification system first developed within the U.Okay. and Canada earlier than the U.S. tailored it in 2004. In the U.S., it is based on ASHRAE standards and the American National Standards Institute/Inexperienced Building Initiative (GBI) 01-2010: Green Constructing Evaluation Protocol for Business Buildings.
Green Globes evaluates the environmental sustainability, resilience and effects on the health and wellness of occupants for business real property. This system provides four tiers of certification by way of a factors-based mostly system for any real estate venture, together with knowledge facilities.
Differences between Green Globes vs. LEED
Both certification packages are involved with sustainability and green constructing practices and are voluntary, but there are some differences.
LEED certification has tech-specific certifications knowledge centers can use that embody not solely the constructing and its operation, but in addition the know-how that may be housed within.
Regular LEED certifications apply to the heating and cooling needs for occupant comfort and different power efficiencies, whereas LEED O+M: Knowledge Facilities addresses the distinctive needs of the power-intensive buildings to cool the tech housed within.
Some slight variations are present in what each program seems to be at for certification:
- LEED certification considerations itself with the building, amenities and operations of the info middle — for the LEED O+M: Knowledge Centers program specifically.
- Green Globes mainly seems to be on the facility and building tasks solely.
The most important distinction, nevertheless, is in the best way certification is completed.
For the LEED program, knowledge middle admins and operators submit documentation by way of the LEED on-line portal for evaluation and adjudication by LEED specialists and panels.
For the Inexperienced Globes program, candidates manage adherence to the necessities throughout a undertaking lifecycle after which do a digital walkthrough with a Inexperienced Globes assessor.
How you can get licensed
To get Inexperienced Globes certification, knowledge facilities should pay $1,500 to register the undertaking and fill out the web questionnaire. In the event that they move this stage, they are charged a payment based mostly on the dimensions of the power and the type of evaluation — New Development (NC), Sustainable Interior, Present Building (EB) or Core & Shell.
Once the challenge is full and the info middle has met all of the outlined necessities, it often does an internet, video-based mostly walkthrough with a Green Globes assessor, who awards points based mostly on the program requirements. Factors are awarded for numerous classes — venture management, power, water effectivity, emissions, and so on. — up to a maximum of 1,000. The Inexperienced Globes assessor charges amenities on a proportion of relevant points, based mostly on the next scores:
- One Inexperienced Globe, the place candidates obtain 35%-fifty four% of applicable factors.
- Two Green Globes, the place candidates achieve fifty five-69% of relevant points.
- Three Green Globes, where candidates achieve 70-eighty four% of applicable points.
- 4 Inexperienced Globes, where applicants obtain 85-one hundred% of relevant factors.
To get LEED certification, knowledge middle admins and operators must pay a flat registration charge calculated on a per-undertaking (constructing) basis. Organizations must pay a separate payment once they submit all the documentation and knowledge essential for certification. It is based mostly on a per-venture (constructing) basis, the dimensions of the challenge and the score system/program.
Info needed to apply often covers the varied requirements of this system, comparable to Location and Transportation, Sustainable Sites, Water Effectivity, Power and Environment, Supplies and Assets, and Indoor Environmental Quality. The subsequent step is to add all the required documents to the Green Enterprise Certification Inc. (GBCI) online portal for a technical evaluation. The GBCI panel gives a preliminary evaluation based mostly on the scores achieved at certainly one of four ranges:
- Certified: 40-forty nine factors.
- Silver: 50-59.
- Gold: 60-79.
- Platinum: 80+.
Applicants can accept the preliminary assessment as remaining and receive the certification or move on to a remaining assessment. They will also attraction any evaluate for an elective charge if they do not agree with the evaluation and score.
Makes use of for LEED and Inexperienced Globes certification
The makes use of for both usually comply with the type of certification knowledge centers wish to apply for and achieve.
For instance, the Inexperienced Globes NC certification evaluates new development and major renovation tasks, while the EB certification is used on particular person buildings or a whole real property portfolio that is already built. Wanting on the GBI’s listing, CyrusOne has two knowledge centers certified for Three Inexperienced Globes EB for 2021 in Illinois and one at One Green Globes EB for 2022 in Arizona. The Equinix DC15 knowledge middle, inbuilt 2020, acquired Three Green Globes NC certification that yr in Virginia.
In the meantime, the Microsoft DM4 knowledge middle in Iowa was built towards earning a LEED BD+C: Knowledge Facilities Gold certification, the Verizon Colorado NEC was converted from a semiconductor plant into a knowledge middle and earned the LEED O+M: Knowledge Centers Gold certification, and the Equinix DA11 in Texas has a LEED BD+C: Knowledge Facilities Silver certification. Equinix incomes each LEED and Inexperienced Globes certifications exhibits that the identical company can earn both varieties of certifications for his or her amenities.