Why LEED credits matter to you

The US Department of Energy estimates that business buildings consume 74% of the electricity produced each year. That’s a shocking figure but where is really matters to building owners and operators is the money spent to use that amount of energy. And it is the common goal for both the United States government and building owners to reduce that statistic as much as possible.

In 1993, David Gottfried and Rick Fedrizzi founded the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) which is a non-profit trade organization that promotes awareness of energy efficient building design and operations. The USGBC is best known for their development of the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The LEED standards started out as one standard in 1994 to grew to a comprehensive system of six interrelated standards covering all areas of development, constructions and remodeling processes.

The LEED standard is catching on for both government agencies and private sector building owners. Many municipal power companies are offering building operators incentives for qualifying for LEED points. One power company in California even has goes so far as to offer cash rebates. That’s a great motivator for building owners to move to more energy efficient development and remodeling.

Am-Finn Sauna and Steam has also embraced the movement to follow LEED standards. In 2006 Am-Finn introduced the industry’s first Advanced Hybrid Steam Room. This new steam room is 50% more energy efficient than standard tile steam rooms and includes a self cleaning system that reduces maintenance costs. The Advanced Hybrid Steam Room provides LEED credits for water efficiency, energy performance, low-emitting materials and indoor chemical and pollutant source control.

In 2008, Am-Finn continued its strong commitment of developing r energy efficient products and introduced to market the industry’s first Eco-Sauna. The Eco-Sauna reduces the use of new-growth wood by 70% while still being an authentic cedar sauna. The LEED credits provided by the Eco-Sauna are for recycled content, rapidly renewable materials and low-emitting materials.

So if you are an architect designing a new building or a current gym owner looking to remodel an existing building with more energy efficient materials, you need to check out Am-Finn’s products that give you beauty and energy efficiency in all of its products. You can find more information on the Advanced Hybrid Steam Room and the Eco-Sauna on our website: www.am-finn.com or call us at 1-800-237-2862.