To put it simply, when you schedule a building energy audit, you want to pass it! Our consultants at Burnham help you analyze your project to make sure that it will pass the energy auditor’s inspection. We can do practically whatever you may need, from providing you with a check list of things to double check before the auditor arrives, to doing a walk-through ourselves and identifying any areas that you should work on before scheduling your building energy audit.

Whether you are trying to meet new green city building codes or are trying to gain LEED certification, we can help you achieve those qualifications.

The following are three things that you should double check before scheduling a building energy audit your project.

Energy-consuming equipment. This includes fixtures like your heating and cooling systems. If you have installed the correct equipment along with the most energy-efficient building materials, you will pass your inspection, and save the building’s operators thousands of dollars in yearly energy bills in the process.

Lighting. Check that your lit exit signs are energy-efficient and that your fixtures are set up to accommodate the most energy efficient bulbs. Place your light switches in such a way that they work to illuminate small areas, versus those that work to illuminate large areas only. By segmenting lighting options, you will help yourself pass your audit as well as reducing future energy consumption.

Building’s envelope. Make sure that the walls are insulated with the best materials, that the windows are tight and that you have used sun filters where necessary

Passing a building energy audit doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. By double checking the three areas discussed above, you increase your chances of passing your inspection. However, if you would like a detailed analysis of what aspects of the building to focus on, you should turn to the experience of the Burnham team. Our job is to give you the advice that will help you pass your inspections and complete your project as soon as possible.

Related Posts:

• The LEED Certification Process – Part 1: Requirements
• The Impacts of LEED Sustainability Efforts
• Growing Trends in Green Building Technologies
• Emerging Green Code and Green Standard Join-Up for Successful Sustainability
• NeoCon Presentation

There are many quantifiable results regarding LEED sustainability efforts. However, there are still some which are difficult to measure, and the criteria are based on factors that vary from project to project. If you are interested in calculating how cost-effective your LEED efforts will be over the lifetime of your building or how high your potential ROI may be if you sell your building, you should speak with the Burnham LEED consulting team. We can help you ascertain the financial and/or environmental benefits of your LEED sustainability efforts.

Keep in mind while looking at any numbers that the financial benefits of different efforts vary drastically from project to project. However, those numbers can provide you with an idea of what you can expect or hope to achieve when you employ various green building strategies in your project. According to the USGB, buildings that are LEED-accredited with Energy Star status have a rate of return of at least twenty percent. As more and more projects rely on LEED standards, older non-LEED certified buildings will lose value, and the LEED buildings will gain as much as a thirty percent return on their investment. In addition to financial benefits, there are other benefits that are vastly important although they are not as easy to quantify. These benefits include things like improved worker health or positive environmental effects. According to a study done by Greg Kats in 2003, the additional building costs required to garner the twenty percent return would only cost contractors an additional two percent in building costs.

Several LEED consulting professionals have studied the impact of LEED sustainability measures in some Portland buildings. They discovered that when a $60,000 investment was used to make an existing building ‘greener’, the building’s operators would save $250,000 in energy costs over a twenty-five year time period. In addition to saving nearly $10,000 a year, the building which had a green roof engendered air pollution benefits that were equal to taking 70 cars off the roads. Analysts place a $90,000 value on that effect.

Without a doubt, LEED sustainability efforts will make your building project friendlier to the planet. However, they will also gain you a substantial monetary return on your investments. Our LEED consulting team has vast experience working under LEED guidelines, and we look forward to helping you figure out what to implement and at what cost for what return.

Related Posts:

• What Can LEED Sustainability Offer Academic Institutions?
• The LEED Certification Process – Part 1: Requirements
• Why Do You Need LEED Consulting?
• A Look at the LEED Platinum Rating
• LEED Gold Certification: What Is It & How Can You Get There?

Keeping track of Los Angeles building codes can be a difficult job for even the most detail-oriented contractor. However, figuring out when your project may be eligible for zoning variances can be even more difficult. Every contractor knows that zoning variances are when the city allows an exception to their usual zoning laws. Variances are usually approved when the property is used in a way that is mostly consistent with the code but has small differences.

The Burnham experience means that we can help you determine which variances are likely to get approved by the approval board. We streamline this process, often accompanied by hassles, to save you time and money. Our years of experience, combined with our close relationships with city officials, means that we have in-depth knowledge about zoning ordinances and building codes as well as changes to the codes and the laws. We understand what the city wants, what neighbors’ concerns may be, and how to submit requests that are likely to get approved. One of our main objectives is to get everything approved so that there are no hold-ups and so that no issues escalate into disputes or zoning conflicts.

While our Burnham team is guiding you through your zoning variance request, you can expect that we will study the relevant codes in each zone and thus predict where any potential problems may occur. Then we can work to circumnavigate those potential problems. We have experts that understand every aspect of getting a variance approved, from the impact the variance may have on traffic to its impact on the environment. Understanding the far-reaching effects of a variance is part of why we are so successful in getting variance requests approved.

Before you submit your request for zoning variances, you should speak with our consultants at Burnham. Our business connections mean that we understand the Los Angeles building codes, often have preemptive knowledge of changes, and know how to manipulate the approval process. We gladly offer our clients the benefits of our years of experience.

Related Posts:

• Environmental Quality Regulations and Los Angeles Building Codes

By: John Progar

Starting today and through next week Burnham will be going through a series of IT upgrades.  The base of the project is to enhance our data and telephone connections.  As Burnham expands with more employees and offices our data processing and communication needs also grow.

In today’s world, people are more connected than ever before.  Yet, many are only familiar with the tools used to communicate (i.e. social media web sites, phones, email, and instant messaging), but what is often forgotten is the infrastructure it takes to deliver those tools.  One piece to the puzzle are massive data centers that dot the world to store and compute data.  Most of the time you could drive right past a data center and think nothing of it because there is not much to see.  However, when you peal back the onion you will find a deep pool of technology.

Inside the data center you will find servers, power and cooling systems, and complex networks.  The network, in my opinion, is the key feature to any computer system.  Why?  If you or I could not speak to each other then what could we accomplish?  Servers, PC’s, mobile phones, tablets, and end-user applications such as, email clients could not accomplish anything without a network to tie it together.  For centuries humans have built networks.  Yes, centuries.  You might be thinking, “I don’t remember reading about the Romans using the Internet” and you are right, but people built roads to travel on and move goods.  After roads soon came pipelines and then the telegraph all which to bring people closer together.

Sure the argument can sway towards, “Well… Servers are the most important.  If we did not have computers and software then we would not need networks and nothing would work.”  I completely agree.  However, we have those things and want more so we need bigger and better roads; there’s a balance at hand as well.  On that is why Burnham is upgrading its network infrastructure.  We are adding capacity to give us the room to build more relationships and be the best in the industry with a solid foundation to work on.

At an end, I have a small marketing spot from Cisco.  The commercial is powerful and pronounces the validity of my remarks in this blog.  I hope everyone enjoys it and can see my point of view.  Finally, during our upgrade process we may have small disruptions to our phone lines and email presence.  I encourage all of our clients to contact Burnham project managers via his or her mobile phone.  Thank-you for your patience during this critical upgrade!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct0KTSHhhg8&feature=pyv

Related Posts:

• Downloading
• System Administrator Appreciation Day – Does your SysAdmin Feel Loved

If you have already bid on or are planning to bid on a project that is trying to gain points for LEED certification, you will be well-served by Burnham’s LEED consulting team. If you speak to a Burnham LEED accredited professional, we will advise you on all of the LEED requirements that are the contractor’s responsibility. We can guide you through the process in a manner that ensures that your building is built to meet LEED standards and that your efforts are cost effective. Then we help you to apply for and get certified by the USGB.

The USGB is the United States Green Building Council, and they oversee the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program. LEED, in turn, certifies buildings through the Green Building Rating System. Contractors are able to gain points for their building by satisfying a number of different green criteria. To gain accreditation, they must gain a certain number of points which are awarded for things like roofs, water systems, or other aspects of their projects.

Burnham’s LEED consulting team, led by a LEED accredited professional, will guide and support you as you choose how to make your building sustainable. We assist you with your entire project, from implementing green strategies to submitting the right paperwork to the USGB. We even study and review different aspects of the project, and help you report those findings to the USGB so that you gain all of the points that you are eligible for. Our analysis can include anything from figuring out the amount of waste that you divert on the project to drafting your Air Quality Management plans to calculating the percentage of local materials that your project has used.

Both the construction team and the owner’s team must submit paperwork. We will help submit that information so that it is done correctly and does not face any delays during the approval process. In addition, we act as a liaison between the two teams to ensure that each team understands their role as well as their partner’s role.

When you turn to the Burnham LEED consulting team, you gain a quality relationship with a LEED accredited professional who can guide you every step of the way. Our guidance will help you identify areas where you can improve green building strategies, qualify for the points that you deserve, and figure out where you can gain additional points. Need help figuring out the logistical aspects of applying for LEED certification? Ask us; we’re here to make sure that your project is approved and accredited as quickly as possible with a minimum of hassles.

Related Posts:

• What Can LEED Sustainability Offer Academic Institutions?
• A Look at the LEED Platinum Rating
• The LEED Certification Process – Part 1: Requirements
• Green Remodeling: It’s Never Too Late!
• LEED Gold Certification: What Is It & How Can You Get There?