Probably the most common reason given for NOT “going green” is the perception that going green adds too much to the cost of a building and thus makes the option too expensive.  Another argument is that going green complicates the design, permitting and construction process, resulting in delays.

 

The purpose of this 2-credit course is to show why these beliefs may actually end up costing the owner, designer and contractor more money by NOT going green.  The course shows the value of owner, designer and contractor learning how to evaluate the trade-offs between various “green” options in order to maximize the overall value of the occupancy, resulting in win-win situations for all parties involved.

 

The approach used shows how to evaluate the economics of various “green” choices for new and retrofit construction in order to maximize profit for the designer and builder as well as the overall cost savings for the owner.  The procedures presented are intended to be useful not only for existing technology, but also for emerging technologies.  An important intended outcome is to show how to distinguish between good choices and bad choices.

The advantage of including “green” concepts at the design and new construction phase.

 

How to evaluate the economic advantage of a proposed “green” component, such as an air conditioner, water heater, solar, energy storage, insulation or heat exchanger in new construction.

 

How to evaluate the economic advantage of a proposed “green” component as a retrofit.

 

How to optimize the selection of “green” appliances.

 

The advantage of including electric vehicle charging as a “green” design component.

 

Some of the computer programs that help to expedite and optimize “green” design.

 

How to separate good ideas from bad ideas.