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Free, On-line Specification Tool
This must mention tool facilitates
Specifications are open and non-proprietary - Specifications include sequences, schematics, point lists, trends, alarms, and other key requirements
- Specifications are created in English or metric units
- Options for BACnet, web-based UI, XML/SOAP interface, cell phone/PDA UI, electrical demand reduction, and more
- Based on ASHRAE Guideline 13-2000, with options for CSI MasterFormat 95 or 2004
- Automatic design review which identifies possible conflicts
- Features are based on user feedback
- It's free
Try it at this link: http://projects.ctrlspecbuilder.com/web/demo
Main site link: https://www.ctrlspecbuilder.com/
U.S. Green Building Council LEED Rating Systems
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria.
LEED for Existing Buildings Rating System
The LEED for Existing Buildings Rating System helps building owners and operators measure operations, improvements and maintenance on a consistent scale, with the goal of maximizing operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts. LEED for Existing Buildings addresses whole-building cleaning and maintenance issues (including chemical use), recycling programs, exterior maintenance programs, and systems upgrades. It can be applied both to existing buildings seeking LEED certification for the first time and to projects previously certified under LEED for New Construction, Schools, or Core & Shell.
LEED for New Construction Rating System
The LEED for New Construction Rating System is designed to guide and distinguish high-performance commercial and institutional projects, including office buildings, high-rise residential buildings, government buildings, recreational facilities, manufacturing plants and laboratories.
USGBC Website > http://www.usgbc.org
Energy Star : Performance Tracking
Green Buildings & Energy Efficiency
ENERGY STAR has developed several tools and guidelines for energy savings. Their Web site has a tool to help you rate energy performance on a scale of 1-100 relative to similar buildings nationwide using EPA’s Portfolio Manager.
Portfolio Manager is an interactive energy management tool that allows you to track and assess energy and water consumption across your entire portfolio of buildings in a secure online environment. Whether you own, manage, or hold properties for investment, Portfolio Manager can help you set investment priorities, identify under-performing buildings, verify efficiency improvements, and receive EPA recognition for superior energy performance.
EPA’s Target Finder lets users establish an energy performance target for design projects and major building renovations. By entering a project’s estimated energy consumption, users can generate an energy performance rating based on the same rating system applied to existing buildings. Outstanding projects are eligible for EPA recognition.
Financial Evaluation Calculators Page
CBECS National Average Source Energy Use and Performance Comparisons by Building Type
Green Buildings and Energy Efficiency: Energy Diligence Pays
US Department of Energy Compliance Software
COMcheck™
COMcheck- is a software tool developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Energy Codes Program, designed to simplify the process of demonstrating compliance with the commercial building energy code using whole-building performance methods.
COMcheck - direct link > http://www.energycodes.gov/comcheck/ez_download.stm
COMcheck-Web - (is the web-based version of COMcheck, no software to download or install)
COMcheck Package Generator- (web-based, no software to download or install)
Green Globes
Green Globes Building Rating System
The Green Globes building environmental design and management tool delivers an online assessment protocol, rating system and guidance for green building design, operation and management. It is interactive, flexible and 
provides market recognition of a building’s environmental attributes through third-party verification.
Begin using Green Globes free for 30 days with the following promotional codes:
Complete the registration form and enter the complimentary code number: performance1
New Commercial Construction http://www.thegbi.org/lp/trial_b.asp
Carbon Calculator
Blue Ridge Technologies Green Payback
The latest release of Blue Ridge Technologies ' popular green payback estimators for integrated lighting are ready for prime time.
Recently Added Features
- Project name & notes fields
- Extended statistics
- Improved interface
- Green Impact carbon calculation by state
- Line item for additional hardware
- Line item for accessories
Try the Retrofit Green Payback Estimator
Try the New Construction Green Payback Estimator
- Integrated system budget
- System cost per square foot
- System capability statistics
- Payback in days
- Refined cost analysis
Carbon Calculator
TerraPass Carbon Balanced Business Program
TerraPass hosts a comprehensive calculation tool that takes ten minutes, and covers everything from your building site, computer server emissions, employee travel and commuting, and vehicle fleet impact. This is a useful tool to get started on evaluating your business' full Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.
Carbon Calculator
Verify Sustainability Carbon Calculator
Verify Sustainability Ltd. has developed a Carbon Calculator software that calculates various metrics for a complex business organization and adjusts for different international standards.
In addition, Verify provides consultancy, advice and system solutions to help your company quickly deploy a global solution and strategy for becoming Carbon Neutral.
Blue Ridge Technologies Single Fixture Project Estimator
Designed to help calculate the project budget for replacement of a single fixture.
Variables
- Fixture Load - Total electrical load the fixture draws
- Local KW Rate - Your energy cost
- Best Case Hours Saved - Assumes implementation the fixture will save some hours per day by powering off
- Desired Payback - Project payback requirement, in years
- Facility Operation - Number of days per year the facility is open (and the fixture is likely to operate)
Life Cycle Analysis
ATHENA® Institute - Impact Estimator for Buildings
The ATHENA® Impact Estimator for Buildings is a software tool that evaluates whole buildings and assemblies based on internationally recognized life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Using the Estimator, architects, engineers and others can easily assess and compare the environmental implications of industrial, institutional, commercial and residential designs–both for new buildings and major renovations. Where relevant, the software also distinguishes between owner–occupied and rental facilities.
Life Cycle Analysis
Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES)
The BEES software measures the environmental performance of building products by using the life-cycle assessment approach specified in the ISO 14040 series of standards. All stages in the life of a product are analyzed: raw material acquisition, manufacture, transportation, installation, use, and recycling and waste management.
Life Cycle Analysis
American Center for Life Cycle Analysis (ACLCA)
The American Center for Life Cycle Assessment is a non-profit membership organization designed to increase awareness of and to promote the adoption of Environmental LCA among industry, government and NGOs.
ACLCA is a part of the Institute for Environmental Research and Education (IERE), a 501(c)3 organization.
Life Cycle Analysis
LCA in Sustainable Architecture (LISA)
LISA is a streamlined life cycle analysis (LCA) decision support tool for construction. It was developed in response to requests by architects and industry professionals for a simplified LCA tool to assist in green design.
Currently LCA methodologies are too complicated and not widely accessible to designers and specifiers. Also, detailed LCA studies often divert attention from the key environmental issues, and tend to focus attention on inter-material competition, rather than on optimum construction systems.
Daylighting Tool
SkyCalc® Skylighting Software
SkyCalc® is a free, simple computer tool that helps building designers determine the optimum skylighting strategy that will achieve maximum lighting and HVAC energy savings for a building. This program is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet application that runs on a personal computer.
SkyCalc US runs on Microsoft Excel 7.0 for Windows 95 or a compatible version of Microsoft Excel. Installation requires a minimum of 2 MB of free disk space, but 10 MB of free space is recommended for running the program. SkyCalc US comes as a self-extracting zipped file. After you have downloaded these files to your hard drive you can double click on the file icon to un-zip the files. You can choose to include all 19 available weather files, or just a subset, per the chart below. Copy SkyCalcUS.xlt into your XLSTART folder. The XLSTART folder is usually in the Excel Templates folder in the MS Office folder. Make a new folder for the weather files in any convenient location. Start the program by opening Excel and asking for a new file, and choosing the SkyCalc option. Consult the Users Manual included in the Skylighting Guidelines for more detailed information on installation and operation. The SkyCalc User's Guide is available on the Energy Design Resources Web site.
Source Website with downloads > http://www.energydesignresources.com/resource/129/
You'll need to register to download it - (just name and an email address)
User's Guide > http://www.energydesignresources.com/docs/sg-6-skycalc.pdf
eQUEST - Free Building Analysis Tool
eQUEST® is a sophisticated, yet easy to use building energy use analysis tool which provides professional-level results with an affordable level of effort.
This freeware tool was designed to allow you to perform detailed analysis of today's state-of-the-art building design technologies using today's most sophisticated building energy use simulation techniques but without requiring extensive experience in the "art" of building performance modeling. This is accomplished by combining a building creation wizard, an energy efficiency measure (EEM) wizard and a graphical results display module with an enhanced DOE-2-derived building energy use simulation program.
You'll need to register to download it - (just name and an email address)
Download > http://www.energydesignresources.com/resource/130/
Headlines
Feb 05, 2009
Blue Ridge Technologies Updates Partner Portals
Jan 21, 2009
Mint DR Readiness Program
Sustainable Integration
Blue Ridge Technologies advocates specifying integrated lighting controls in the way that moves the expertise and accountability to those who are best positioned to be successful.
Extras
