Existing Healthy Building Resources Overview

The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), in partnership with the General Services Administration, is currently investigating how tradi- tional building energy-efficiency Photo credit: Xiye. https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photography-hotel-lobby-image16747412 measures can impact in the federal sector. Guides Playbook by Efficiency Vermont4. A number of high-level guides The EPA guide is for home energy Summary are available that describe healthy auditors and contractors to assess Pacific Northwest National building concepts and practices. health and safety while performing Laboratory (PNNL), in support of the These guides are useful for familiar- home energy upgrades, and the FEMP Healthy Buildings Toolkit, izing healthy building newcomers to Efficiency Vermont guide is for state undertook an extensive literature the field, and these include back- and utility energy-efficiency review to determine what ground research about health and program administrators to information exists about healthy productivity and case studies and incorporate home health evaluations building practices. This overview feedback from stakeholders. into their home energy assessments. explores some of the most impactful Some examples of well-known and resources to help building owners comprehensive guides for the Certification Programs and operators understand more about commercial sector are Sustainable Some examples of certification buildings that are both healthy and Facilities Tool by General Services programs that promote occupant energy efficient. Administration (GSA), How to health in commercial and multi- Deliver Healthy Buildings by the UK family buildings include Facility This review focuses on healthy Council1, and The 9 Innovations Toward Wellness building topics (lighting, thermal Foundations of a Healthy Building by Environmental Leadership (Fitwel), comfort, and ) that the Harvard T.H. Chan School of developed by Center of Disease intersect with energy-efficiency Public Health2. These guides outline Control and GSA; the U.S. Green topics in the commercial and federal steps and relevant knowledge to Building Council’s Leadership in sectors. Existing resources are begin putting healthy building Energy and Environmental Design categorized as guides, certification improvements into practice. (LEED); the International WELL programs, building standards and Building Institute WELL Building codes, tools and services, For the residential sector, two Standard; and Living Building government programs, business distinguished guides are Healthy Challenge (LBC). LEED and LBC cases, and research studies to help Indoor Environment Protocols for look at energy and other areas of decision makers identify resources Home Energy Upgrades by the U.S. sustainability comprehensively, and most applicable to them. Environmental Protection Agency3 Fitwel and WELL primarily focus on (EPA) and the Energy-Plus-Health health and wellness. The certification costs for WELL are typically higher than the certification costs for Fitwel What is a Healthy Building? because it is more stringent and The 9 Foundations of a Healthy Building published by the Harvard T.H. Chan School performance-based system, whereas of Public Health describes important actions for achieving nine aspects of healthy Fitwel focuses on providing buildings. Most of these healthy features directly relate to energy efficiency: amenities like opportunities for VENTILATION - Meet or exceed outdoor air ventilation rate guidelines to control exercise and access to nature. Despite indoor sources of odors, chemicals, and carbon dioxide; filter out particles; the costs of these certifications, they commission and monitor ventilation systems. are useful for prescribing solutions AIR QUALITY – Ensure low/no volatile organic compound (VOC) finishes and that are backed by industry consensus furnishings, lead, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); asbestos abatement; and research, taking the burden off indoor at 30–60%. users needing to identify their own solutions and strategies. WATER QUALITY - Test to meet the U.S. National Drinking Water Standards at point-of-use. There are numerous certifications for THERMAL HEALTH - Meet minimum standards for temperature and specific healthy products for commer- humidity and keep thermal conditions consistent throughout the day. Commission cial and residential spaces, including and maintain HVAC systems. programs for low- and no-VOC DUST AND PESTS - Seal pest entry points and prevent moisture buildup. paints, stains, and sealers like Green LIGHTING AND VIEWS - Provide and/or high intensity blue-enriched Seal and the Master Painters Institute lighting (480nm). Provide direct lines of sight to exterior windows from all Green Performance Standard; the workstations. California Air Resources Board for NOISE - Protect against outdoor noises. Control indoor sources of noise such as formaldehyde-free wood products; mechanical equipment, office equipment, and machinery. the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Green Label Plus for eco-friendly carpets; MOISTURE - Conduct regular inspections of roofing, plumbing, ceilings, and HVAC Green Guard for cleaning products; equipment. Identify and remediate the underlying sources of moisture issues. and more. SAFETY AND SECURITY - Meet fire safety and carbon monoxide monitoring standards. Provide adequate lighting in common areas, stairwells, emergency Building Standards and Codes egress points, parking lots, and building entryways. Standards and codes typically outline prescriptive minimum requirements and are useful to get a sense of Environmental Quality (CEQ) buildings and building systems that healthy building parameters and published Guiding Principles for governments can reference in their design strategies. In the federal Sustainable Federal Facilities, to building codes. Many of these sector, the GSA created the Facility which 22 federal agencies have standards contain provisions voluntarily committed. FEMP Standards for the Public Building concerning occupant health, for released a convenient guide on their Service (PBS-P100), which estab- example, ASHRAE 55 (minimum website for navigating the contents lishes baseline requirements and three requirements for thermal comfort), of the Guiding Principles5. Section 4 higher voluntary performance levels ASHRAE 62.1 (minimum require- of the CEQ Guiding Principles ments for indoor air quality), and for the design and construction of all outlines the required indoor ASHRAE 189.1 (high- GSA facilities. PBS-100 covers environmental quality provisions for performance targets for thermal building enclosures (Sections 3.2 and new and retrofitted buildings. comfort, indoor air quality, and 3.3), HVAC systems (Sections 5.1 energy efficiency). The and 5.2), lighting and daylighting ASHRAE has released and updates International Code Council (Sections 6.2 and 6.3), and other hundreds of standards and guidelines publishes the International Green health-related considerations related to commercial and residential Construction Code in partnership (Sections 3.4-3.7). The Council on

2 designed for energy efficiency also improve thermal comfort with added insulation and ventilation, which can result in better indoor air quality and moisture management.

Local government programs can offer incentives to commercial building owners for constructing green build- ings that primarily improve energy efficiency but also improve health. For example, the City of Pittsburgh has a Sustainable Development Bonuses program that offers building owners the option to increase floor area and building height up to 20% Photo credit: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory over the zoning limit if the building is LEED certified. with ASHRAE and other productivity; it has been implemented organizations to provide prescriptive in more than 1,000 buildings across Business Case design strategies for both energy and the world. Business case reports focus on the indoor environ-mental quality topics. Dozens of consultant companies financial return of health in commer- Tools and Services provide recommendations and cial buildings. The Financial Case for High Performance Buildings by Tools and services both provide implementation of upgrades based on Stok6 compiles existing research to customized results for users. Tools audits of energy usage, air leakage in find a general return on investment are user-operable, and services are the building envelope and ducts, and found a $115/ft2 10-year net conducted by a third-party. An HVAC performance, and indoor air present value of general healthy example is the Thermal Comfort Tool quality. Many of these companies building retrofits in a typical office by the Center for the Built will facilitate WELL, LEED, or other building. Another report titled Environment (CBE), which takes certifications. In addition, there are Buildings Emerge as Drivers of temperature, humidity, and other dozens of companies that sell Health and Profits by Scott Muldavin parameters and determines if these products to assist with healthy et al7 found a $27.8/ft2 5-year net meet the ASHRAE 55 comfort zone building. These products include present value for obtaining a WELL requirements. indoor environmental quality sensors, monitoring and analytical apps and healthy building certification. Occupancy surveys are a subjective software, control technologies for Other studies, such as Building the method to evaluate the occupant building automation systems, and Business Case: Health, Wellbeing experience; they are also useful for modern HVAC and lighting equip- and Productivity in Green Offices by identifying operational issues. The ment and fixtures. the World Green Building Council8 GSA Tenant Satisfaction Survey is and Building for Wellness: The administered on a yearly basis to all Government Programs Business Case by the Urban Land GSA-operated federal buildings. CBE Government programs can be at the Institute9 provide qualitative and has developed an Occupant Survey local, state, or federal level and can quantitative evidence from a variety Toolkit, a paid analytical service to include tax breaks, low-interest loans, of sources. help building owners prioritize the grants, rebates, and other financial steps needed to improve occupant incentives. Low-income residential satisfaction and workplace weatherization programs that were

3 emerging technologies, including internet of things, control solutions, machine-learning, high-performance equipment, and other occupant healthsolutions.

Conclusion While many guides, reports, articles, certifications, and programs cover aspects of energy-efficient and healthy buildings, more can be done to facilitate the adoption of healthy building practices. A gap we have identified is the lack of confident models for applying the large amounts of existing data to specific Photo credit: LED Inspirations. https://flic.kr/p/v3NeNa projects to determine occupant outcomes in health and productivity Academic Literature and environmental quality, we found due to indoor environmental improvements. The purpose of the Research these resulted in a 5.7% average Healthy Buildings Toolkit is to Numerous studies examine occupant improvement in productivity and from 14 studies we found an average establish a starting point for creating outcomes (improvements in 37% reduction in absenteeism. Other a low-cost, high-fidelity, customized productivity, turnover, absenteeism, academic studies we reviewed serve a tool for modeling occupant health cognitive abilities, satisfaction, stress, variety of objectives, such as outcomes that are integrated with etc.) due to controlled modifications synthesizing and reviewing other energy-efficiency measures and to indoor environmental quality. publications; creating theoretical goals. From a compilation of 63 studies that frameworks or evaluation quantified productivity due to methodologies; and researching FEMP Contact: improvements in indoor [email protected]

1 "Practical how-to guide: How to deliver healthy buildings" by UK Green Building Council. https:// www.ukgbc.org/sites/default/files/How%20to%20deliver%20Healthy%20Buildings.pdf PNNL Contact: 2 "The 9 Foundations of a Healthy Building" by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. [email protected] https://forhealth.org/9_Foundations_of_a_Healthy_Building.February_2017.pdf 3 "Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades." by Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-12/documents/epa_retrofit_protocols.pdf 4 "Energy-Plus-Health Playbook" by Vermont Energy Investment Corporation. https://www.veic.org/Media/ default/documents/resources/manuals/energy-plus-health-playbook.pdf 5 "Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings." by Federal Energy Management Program. https:// www4.eere.energy.gov/femp/requirements/guidelines_filtering? 6 "The Financial Case for High Performance Buildings" by Stock, LLC. https://stok.com/wp-content/ uploads/2018/10/stok_report_financial-case-for-high-performance-buildings.pdf 7 "Buildings emerge as drivers of health and profits" by Muldavin S, C Miers, and K McMackin. https:// static1.squarespace.com/static/5a00a5ad90bade3bd62dbaa1/t/5aff64bf758d46bedbd90862/1526686912747/ Buildings+Emerge+as+Drivers+of+Health+%26+Profits_Corp+RE+Journal_Dec+2017.pdf. 8 "Building the Business Case: Health, Wellbeing and Productivity in Green Offices" by World Green Building Council. https://www.worldgbc.org/sites/default/files/WGBC_BtBC_Dec2016_Digital_Low- MAY24_0.pdf For more information, visit: 9 "Building for Wellness: The Business Case" by Urban Land Institute. https://uli.org/wp-content/uploads/ energy.gov/eere/femp ULI-Documents/Building-for-Wellness-The-Business-Case.pdf PNNL-SA-163091 • JUNE 2021

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