VCA Green is an industry leader in the green building arena, and this is especially true with regard to the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Having certified millions of square feet of projects, our in-house LEED Accredited professional staff have backgrounds in architecture, construction and building maintenance with experience working on LEED Homes, LEED commercial new construction and LEED for existing buildings. Whether your project is a commercial interior or a complex mixed-use high-rise tower, VCA Green can tailor a program to fit your budget and your timeline.

Our LEED services include:

• Green Building certification management and facilitation
  • LEED for New Construction & Major Renovations
  • LEED for Core & Shell
  • LEED for Commercial Interiors
  • LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance
  • LEED for Schools
  • LEED for Homes and LEED for Homes Midrise
  • LEED for Retail
• LEED documentation assistance
• Pre-LEED and GreenPoint Rated submittal reviews
• Manufacturer and product sustainability consulting
• Financial and LEED feasibility studies
• Sustainable O&M Guidelines

The California Green Building Code (CALGreen) was put into effect on January 1, 2010 and is now within its second code cycle. Given VCA Green’s extensive code knowledge and background, our firm was one of the first companies educating building officials throughout the State on how to implement its measures. Since then, VCA Green has assisted residential and commercial project teams in navigating compliance requirements, favorably resolved code interpretation issues between developers and jurisdictions, and collaborated with general contractors with regards to construction phase implementation.

Our turnkey compliance saves design teams time so they can focus on their core competencies. We keep work with each team member to keep them informed about the subtleties of each code requirement, which minimizes surprises and delays within the design phase. The CALGreen sheets which we produce are often accepted by jurisdictions with minimal or no plan check corrections.

VCA Green provides commissioning services for LEED, California Energy Code and CalGreen, and general third-party quality assurance.

Commissioning ensures that the building owner receives a product that meets the performance requirements which they specify. The commissioning process provides a quality assurance process that ensures design and performance criteria of the installed systems function as intended and in a manner consistent with ownership’s requirements. As a result, our clients are delivered buildings which operate at their peak performance, often resulting in lower energy and maintenance costs, as well as more productive and healthier building environments. Other commissioning benefits include:

Our Commissioning services may include the following:

• Lower energy and operational costs
• Reduced change orders and additional claims
• Fewer deficiencies at substantial completion
• Fewer project delays
• Less post occupancy corrective work
• Minimized impact from design changes
• Better operation, maintenance and reliability
• More knowledgeable O&M staff.

Our Commissioning services include the following:

• Design quality assurance
• LEED Fundamental Commissioning
• LEED Enhanced Commissioning
• LEED Retro-Commissioning
• CALGreen Commissioning
• California Energy Code Commissioning
• Customized Commissioning for your specific project needs
• Energy Audit

We typically commission the following systems:

• Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning Equipment
• Electrical and lighting systems
• Building automation and controls
• Renewable energy systems (Photovoltaic)
• Building envelope
• Other building systems can also be commissioned as required or requested

VCA Green has expert energy modelers with CABEC certifications. Energy modeling allows project teams to evaluate the projects anticipated energy consumption and model alternative energy-saving solutions. We use CBECC, Wrightsoft (ACCA Manuals J, D and S), Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES), and other programs that work best for energy analysis and green building program requirements. We work with 2-D and 3-D files from the project team to determine energy-cost performance goals and weigh the energy design strategies.

Our energy models can be used early in the design phase to assess compliance. A living model that changes with design is very beneficial as we deliver real time results as the project evolves.

High-preforming buildings can often qualify for incentives from utility companies or local, state, or federal jurisdictions. VCA Green can help a project team assess rebate potential and make suggestions to meet program minimums or increase rebate returns. We coordinate with rebate providers and perform inspections when required. VCA Green has qualified its customers for over $3.5 million in rebates and incentives.

GreenPoint Rated is a third party-green building rating system administered by Build It Green and is required by several cities in California. Tailored for residential projects, GreenPoint Rated is an approved rating systems for federal government tax incentive programs and is required by several cities in California to fulfill green building ordinances. VCA Green provides full GreenPoint Rated compliance from design through to construction. VCA Green is able to assist with New Home and Existing Home certification.

ENERGY STAR certified buildings and plants meet strict energy performance standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They use less energy, are less expensive to operate, and cause fewer emissions than their peers. According to the EPA, starting with the first ENERGY STAR certified building in 1999, tens of thousands of buildings and plants across America have already earned EPA’s ENERGY STAR for superior energy performance.

VCA Green can assist project teams comply with Energy Star for Homes program.

ASHRAE audits analyze a building’s energy usage and identify where energy can be saved. VCA Green’s audits identify potential energy conservation measures (ECMs) and other improvements for further consideration and include an initial assessment detailing costs and estimated return on investment (ROI). The Level I audit is intended to help the building owner understand where the building performs relative to its peers.

The ASHRAE Level II audit provides a higher level of detail then the ASHRAE Level I Audit and focuses more on how and when the most energy is consumed. As with the Level I audit, VCA Green identifies ECMs complete with each measures payback period.

To address climate change in California, Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32) requires the state to reduce its greenhouse gas GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

VCA Green produces GHG assessments of potential GHG emissions based on the proposed design to show compliance with CEQA.

VCA Green provides California Energy Code Title-24 HERS verifications and diagnostic testing and HERS verifications for third-party rating systems such as LEED, GreenPoint Rated and others. VCA Green can also perform HERS verifications when required by utility rebate programs and Federal tax incentive programs.

Our HERS Raters can help you with:

• Duct testing
• Envelope leakage (blower door) testing
• Quality insulation installation (QII)
• Refrigerant charge and Airflow (RCA)
• Fan efficacy (watt draw)
• Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) verification
• Air flow and exhaust
• Rebate and tax incentive verification
• Existing building verification of installed systems

VCA Green has in house Verifiers that can assist with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) program, ICC 700 National Green Building Standard (NGBSS). NGBS is a third-party rating system that assesses a building’s performance based on energy use, material efficiency, indoor air quality, sustainable landscape, community connectivity, and operations & maintenance. The standard is design to evolve over time and provides good guidance towards building “green”. Often, in California, most projects can easily qualify for certification. Call us for more information.

Effective July 1, 2014, the California Energy Commission adopted changes to the California building Efficiency Standards (Title 24, Parts 1 and 6) that require lighting controls and devices to be certified as properly installed and operational, prior to issuance of occupancy permits. VCA Green can provide third party verification at design plus third party acceptance testing towards the end of construction.

Workshop Topics Include:

• CALGreen Residential and Non-residential
• 2013 California Energy Code
• LEED Overview
• Commissioning