Everyone knows tax day is April 15, but a lot of us forget that Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22. First celebrated in 1970, the day was set aside to raise environmental awareness and promote appreciation for our planet. When it comes to ensuring eco-friendly building, the effort should not be viewed as taxing, but as a way to not only contribute to our planet’s viability but also to realize economic savings by incorporating energy-efficient standards.

There are several ways building owners can boast of having eco-friendly buildings. Here are just a few simple steps that can be taken toward that end:

• Installing skylights in a building enables a property owner to illuminate the interior, free of charge, thanks to Mother Nature! Given today’s heightened environmental consciousness, building owners have no shortage of available skylight installers. Not only do skylights save on energy bills, but also they offer an elegant element to any building.

• Solar panels are another tested element toward eco-friendly building. Initially, the cost of solar panels was cost-prohibitive. However, advances in the technology have helped prices go down. Moreover, many utilities offer rebates as powerful incentives toward the development of eco-friendly projects. Many property owners with solar panels end up selling surplus energy to the utility where their eco-friendly buildings are located. Short of selling the excess to a utility, it can also be stored for later use by transferring it to a battery. Granted, there is an initial investment requirement but the dividends will pay off big time in the long run.

• Low-wattage light bulbs are an often overlooked, yet simple, step that can be taken to achieve eco-friendliness. These bulbs are the “pigtail” variety and can be deceptive, given that they are brighter than conventional bulbs. However, don’t be deceived; they are exponentially more energy efficient that old-school light bulbs. As an added plus, these bulbs require no special adaptations and can plug into any socket.

• The bathroom is one of the last places some might expect to target in trying to achieve eco-friendly building, but the toilet consumes quite a bit of water. Due to this, it’s advisable to secure a low-flow toilet device to cut on water bills. These easy-to-install devices—available at any building supplies store—ensure that a toilet uses considerably less water without compromising water flow. This simple step can help you save not only water but also money on your water bill each month.

• Motion sensors designed to turn off a light bulb automatically are another element found in many eco-friendly buildings. The timers on these devices will automatically shut off light bulbs either indoors or outdoors if you happen to forget to shut them off yourself. Building owners sometimes don’t count the cost of wasted electricity but believe us—it can be quite considerable.

As part of their professional acumen, the staff of Burnham Nationwide is well-versed on the range of energy-efficient methods and practices. We see the heightened interest in eco-friendly building as advantageous to our clients because of the real savings that can be achieved.

Having a so-called “green building” is an ever-increasing goal of many—a source of pride in their communities and a way of achieving financial and energy savings. Achieving green status requires cooperation from all construction players—the architect, the design team, engineers, and the client. You can count on having a reliable partner in Burnham Nationwide for development of your own green building.

For additional insight and guidance on achieving eco-friendly buildings, please contact us through our website at burnhamnationwide.com or by calling us toll-free at (800) 407-7990.

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• The Value of Using Green Building Consultants for Your Next Project

At Burnham Nationwide, we can provide our clients with green building consultants whose job it is to work directly with project managers, building owners, architects, and engineers. Their role is to advise these professionals about the best ways of integrating green technologies into their next building project. Their advice concerns how to meet USGBC’s LEED certification standards as well as how to integrate green technologies that will save the building’s owner money and increase the property’s ultimate resale value. We can tailor our advice to fit the needs of your particular project.

When you speak with our green building consultants, you will discover things that you may have never realized about green technologies and methods. Some of the emerging technologies are simply too expensive to be useful right now. However, every day technologies have become more pervasive and more affordable. Our consultants can help you discover which ones are right for your project. Their experience gives them the necessary skills to crunch the numbers regarding each technology. For instance, they can help you figure out how much it will cost to implement certain technologies. These technologies could be anything from toxin absorbent paints to green roofing materials that help filter air to certain types of solar energy panels. After they help you estimate installation costs, our consultants can assist you with ascertaining the long-term value of these efforts. When looking at the long-term value, they will consider things such as how much energy you will save, how the technology will affect the security of the building’s occupants, and how it will eventually affect the property’s value.

At Burnham, we are committed to pursuing environmental excellence and creating structures that are more welcoming, more energy-efficient, more attractive, and finally, more profitable than their non-green counterparts. We extend this level of commitment to our clients so that their next project can achieve these goals. Our consultants are also trained in LEED certification standards, and we ensure that we take you through all of the necessary steps so that you receive all of the relevant tax credits and recognition that are associated with this program.

At Burnham, we believe in tailoring our offerings to your needs. If you are interested in educating your team members about the benefits of our green building practices, we can offer that to you as well. We are interested in providing professionals with information on the benefits of green building and giving them the knowledge that they need to implement these practices into their commercial or residential buildings. In addition to providing education, we can help the designers of your project add green elements.

When it comes to being green, our business model is built around a serious set of principles. We are one of the nation’s leaders in the progression of the green building movement. We serve all kinds of clients, and we offer services that address the needs of almost all types of buildings and projects. If you want someone to work with you on your next project, we would love to speak with you. Our green building consultants use proven methods, and they have the experience and organizational skills to be with you through every step of your project from drafting the plans to filing the paperwork to completing it all. We have helped many of our clients earn their LEED certifications. We have worked with projects that have focused on everything from building schools to revamping existing apartment blocks to meet contemporary green standards. To see some of our achievements, you only need to browse through our website and look at our client testimonials. We have a formula for success that allows us to help our clients execute even the most difficult and innovative projects.

Because we have been working with clients in so many capacities for so many years, we know what will help them the most. We have close relationships with the building officials in most cities. This makes the entire process of applying for permits much more streamlined and straightforward. In addition, we have also worked closely with the officials of the USGBC, and we understand what needs to be completed and filed for a project to earn their LEED certification. We let our connections and experience work for you.

At Burnham, we do not want to just sell you a service. Instead, we want to provide you with value. We give this to you in the form of our collective experience. Our experience provides the necessary leadership and technical knowledge for your next project. Our staff consists of renowned professionals with extensive knowledge about architecture, engineering and design. We are committed to facilitating and educating our clients to affect real change in the building industry. At Burnham, we believe that green buildings should be more than just the right design or a certain construction. We believe that they should be high-performing spaces that benefit their owners and their occupants. This belief allows us to help create buildings that offer more than they consume. It allows us to help create buildings that give back to the environment and the economy of their communities.  These are the commitments that you will get when working with any of our consultants.

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