The green building measures discussed in this manual can lead not only to lower building operating expenses through reduced utility and waste disposal costs, but also to lower on-going building maintenance costs, ranging from salaries to supplies. For example, in many buildings, maintenance staff collect recycled materials on each floor or even at every employee’s desk and carry the materials down to the basement for hand sorting.
Recycling chutes
A viable green alternative, allow direct discarding of materials from any floor in the building to the basement. The chute system, which ideally is installed during initial construction or renovation, can sort materials automatically, saving labor costs by eliminating the need to collect, transport, and sort recyclables. Other savings come in the form of lower waste hauling fees; reduced workers’ compensation insurance premiums due to lower claims for accidents from sharp glass and cans; reduced elevator maintenance; less frequent cleaning of spills on carpets and floors; and less need for pest control.
One private waste handling company has estimated that a typical 20-floor building can realize estimated annual labor savings of $27,209 for handling recyclables with a chute system, as opposed to floor-by-floor recycling. The potential annual savings from reduced hauling is $4,800. Together, the reductions add up to a total annual savings of $32,009. The savings are offset by the installation cost of the chute system, totaling $24,000, resulting in an initial increase in net cash flow for the building owner or manager of $8,000.
Environmentally friendly housekeeping products can also have financial advantages. For example, cleaning products that are purchased as concentrates and use minimal packaging not only promote waste reduction, but also can reduce product usage by 30 to 60 percent with dispensers that more accurately measure and dilute the cleaning products for optimum effectiveness.
Building Management
Building owners need to view the building manager and staff as vital participants in environmentally sound and cost-effective operations. Building managers, charged with the efficient operation and maintenance of multi-million-dollar assets, have experience in all areas of operations and maintenance over the life of a building. Once a building is operational, training of management and maintenance staff—including education on effective green building measures such as building energy management systems, new cleaning products, and new building codes and standards—can help them to maintain the building in a resource-efficient and economically favorable manner.
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