Green Buildings and Their Evaluation Schemes

Today, efficiency is a key factor when deciding to purchase a home.

The trend of building owners insulating their properties (whether commercial, residential or industrial) has led to the increasingly popular concept of green buildings.

What exactly does a green building mean? Green buildings are those that stand out for their reduced consumption of electricity and water, as well as a high-quality, natural and healthy indoor environment.

However, it is not enough to simply associate this name with a property. To be included in the category of green buildings, they must meet certain standard environmental conditions, which must be certified by an authorized institution. The score obtained, between 0 and over 100 points, is the only one that can designate a building as green or not, depending on the case.

Moreover, since it is desired that in the coming years at least our individual homes will approach zero energy consumption, Romania has currently initiated a program called Green Mortgage, whose role is to boost the construction of green buildings.

Through this program, funds can be accessed with preferential interest rates, provided that the construction projects meet the imposed ecological criteria. Thus, all those projects that fall within the standards of high energy efficiency and reduced toxicity of construction materials will benefit from an interest rate of less than 1%.

Regarding the recommended materials for increasing energy efficiency to achieve a healthy and safe environment, it should be mentioned that the first company certified in this program was Knauf Insulation.

Knauf Insulation products are responsibly manufactured with recycled raw materials, and the result extends beyond efficient home insulation, with the indoor environment benefiting from a noticeable improvement in air quality and comfort.

Mineral wool is one of the most efficient materials when it comes to the thermal efficiency of a home, and its popularity has grown with the desire of beneficiaries to be increasingly informed, as well as due to the tested and proven performance over time.

Knauf Insulation mineral wool acts as a barrier against air currents, preventing heat from escaping or cold from entering indoors during winter, while at the same time allowing walls or roofs to breathe. Knauf mineral wool is a fire-resistant product that prevents the spread of fire.

Therefore, by using Knauf Insulation mineral wool for applying a quality insulation layer, the home will certainly gain extra points in terms of obtaining one of the 4 certificates awarded to a building classified as green.

What are the certification schemes for green buildings?

1. The BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) evaluation method, optional in Romania, debuted in Great Britain in 1990. It is currently mandatory in the public sector and optional in the private sector. To obtain a certificate for a green building, it must achieve a minimum score of 30 points.

The evaluation analyzes energy consumption, water consumption, indoor environment quality, pollution levels, materials used, waste generated, and the building's life cycle. The maximum that such an evaluation can award is 109 points, although from 85 the building is classified as remarkable.

Buildings that obtain less than 30 points are not certified as green buildings.

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) evaluation method started in 1993 in the United States and is now known worldwide. The scheme proposed by this method considers both commercial and residential buildings. The difference between this method and the one in Great Britain is made by the requirements, which are slightly more lenient, as well as the scoring system.

Thus, for a building to be green through the LEED method, it must have low energy consumption, use water efficiently, but the materials used in its construction, resources, and the quality of the indoor environment obtained are also taken into account. The green building certificate is allocated only if the evaluation results in more than 40 points out of a maximum of 100.

Although it evaluates similar indices to the other two methods, HQE (Haute Qualite Environnementale), a French initiative started in 1996, has not been adopted on as large a scale. In addition, it is specifically addressed to new buildings, commercial buildings and multi-family dwellings.

The most recent evaluation method was born in 2008 in Germany and is known as DGNB (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Nachaltiges Bauen or German Sustainable Building Council). It focuses on approximately 50 criteria, ranging from environmental to economic aspects, technology and those referring to the working method.

Thus, this method evaluates the entire life cycle of the building. DGNB certified buildings fall into bronze, silver or gold categories. In addition, there is the possibility of a simpler pre-certification in the planning phase.