Frequently Asked Questions

To achieve LEED certification there are registration and certification review fees paid directly to GBCI, the certification body. Achieving certification requires some services that may be in addition to the architectural and engineering services you are planning, including energy modeling and commissioning for major renovation and new construction, or energy auditing and air balancing for existing buildings. Emerald can provide you with a price for additional services including certification management with a few details about the project including SF, building type, schedule, and certification goal. We may also recommend an assessment, a short engagement that helps you clarify your certification strategy and fully understand potential added costs and benefits of pursuing certification.

Emerald is an approved verifier for Cleveland’s residential tax abatement program. Our portfolio includes hundreds of multi-family and mixed-use projects across Cleveland that achieved tax abatement.

Emerald provides the require energy-savings documentation required for 179D through our energy modeling services and is able to provide the required site visit confirmation needed for the formal application.

Emerald provides the require energy-savings documentation required for 45L through our energy modeling services and is able to provide the required site visit confirmation needed for the formal application.

Emerald helps companies achieve an EcoVadis score and take steps to improve it. EcoVadis is a global provider of business sustainability ratings, assessing companies on their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance. It helps businesses manage sustainability risks, meet goals, and drive positive impact across their value chain.

Emerald helps companies achieve a score through CDP and to Take steps to improve it. The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) is a global, non-profit organization that encourages businesses and governments to report on their environmental impact, particularly related to climate change, water, and deforestation. It provides a platform for companies, cities, and other organizations to measure, disclose, manage, and share environmental information. CDP aims to foster transparency and accountability in environmental performance, helping businesses and governments make informed decisions about environmental risks and opportunities.

Emerald’s energy modeling services allow us to provide the Comcheck required for the AHJ.

Emerald is led by a female CEO. It does not currently hold WBE or Ohio EDGE certification.

Emerald’s certification assessment service will help you answer that question.

Each project’s path to certification is unique. We recommend starting with an assessment engagement. In our assessment engagements, we are able to help you evaluate your project against the certification rating system, set a preliminary strategy, and understand the hard and soft costs that may be required to achieve certification.

Energy modeling is one of Emerald’s core services. We use DOE approved software to develop whole building energy models. Our energy models serve as the foundation for energy savings documentation needed for financial incentives or building certifications.

Emerald performs building services commissioning in compliance with local code, corporate facility standards, and all major sustainable building certifications. We conduct fundamental and enhanced commissioning for new systems, and also retro-commission systems in operation.

Emerald partners with owners and architects to design energy efficient MEP systems. Our design engineering is often paired with other services that support corporate goals to reduce environmental impact and improve the human experience.

Emerald works with all major sustainable building certifications including LEED, WELL, Fitwel, Green Globes, Energy Star, NGBS, SITES and Enterprise Green Communities.

Emerald recommends buildings conduct energy audits every five years. If you have not had an audit in five years, you likely will benefit from having an audit. Energy audits are often required for financial incentives that require documentation of energy savings and as documentation for sustainable building certifications.

Emerald was incorporated in 2012.

Emerald supports clients across the globe from our offices in Cleveland, Ohio.

Emerald supports all members of the AEC team. The support we provide depends on the project’s scope and sustainability goals. Let’s discuss how we can help your team succeed.

We assist contractors in preparing submittals aligned with the requirements of green building certification systems. Let’s talk about your project needs and how we can support you.

• LEED ID+C: For interior fit-outs.

• LEED BD+C: For new buildings and major renovations.

• LEED O+M: For existing buildings with 12+ months of operational data.
  We can help determine the right certification for your project.

Yes. Multiple certifications, including LEED and Fitwel, can be pursued at the same time.

LEED and WELL share goals related to sustainability and human health. Let’s explore how they can work together on your project.

LEED and Fitwel are complementary. LEED focuses on sustainability, while Fitwel emphasizes health and wellness. We’ll help you align both.

Let’s schedule a call to determine where you are in the GRESB process and how we can support your submission.

Please refer to our video on greenhouse gas scopes available on our website.

GHG reporting is the process of creating an annual report that outlines your organization's greenhouse gas impact. Let’s talk about how we can support your reporting efforts.

More jurisdictions are requiring organizations to report emissions as part of understanding and reducing environmental impact. Emerald can help clarify and fulfill these requirements.

Carbon reporting is another term for greenhouse gas reporting. It involves calculating emissions from your organization’s operations.

Yes. Emerald supports organizations in preparing GHG reports and developing strategies to reduce their emissions.

A sustainability roadmap is a tailored plan to help an organization set and achieve sustainability goals. We create custom strategies based on your needs.

We’re a sustainability consulting firm working at the intersection of business and buildings. We help clients improve their environmental impact and achieve their goals.

Yes. We analyze utility bills to help you understand your energy use and identify opportunities to reduce cost and impact.

Commissioning ensures building systems like HVAC, lighting, and plumbing are designed and operating as intended.

Commissioning supports system performance, energy efficiency, and ensures your building meets its operational goals.

Envelope commissioning verifies that a building’s enclosure is not leaking air or water, helping to protect the structure and improve efficiency.

Energy models help evaluate system design choices and performance, leading to smarter, more efficient decisions during design.

It enables teams to test different design options and assess performance impacts—without having to redesign the entire project.

An energy model is a software-based simulation of a building’s energy use, including its envelope and systems.

Energy models are often required for certifications and incentives and are useful tools during the design phase.

You can use the results to document energy efficiency, qualify for incentives, and optimize system design.

Typically, it takes about four weeks after we receive all required design documentation.

Energy audits also take approximately four weeks and include a review of utility data, building systems, and site inspections.

Yes. We frequently support contractors in developing submittals for building certifications like LEED.

Yes. LEED O+M is designed for existing buildings. LEED Zero certifications are also available for buildings achieving net-zero performance.

Yes. We assist project teams with daylight modeling to support certification and design goals.

We offer LEED certification management, energy modeling, fundamental/enhanced commissioning, daylight calculations, life cycle assessments, and more.

LEED is a globally recognized green building certification focused on environmental performance.

WELL focuses on the health and wellness of building occupants through evidence-based design and operation.

Fitwel is a certification system promoting health and wellness in buildings and communities.

We’ve worked on several hundred LEED projects across sectors—from residential to large-scale industrial. Let’s talk about how we can help with yours.

Emerald has certified several hundred LEED projects. You can explore our portfolio for examples.

Our headquarters is in Cleveland, Ohio, and we support projects across the U.S. and internationally.

Yes. We work with project teams globally to help them meet sustainability and certification goals.

Yes. We are certified Green Verifiers for Cleveland’s Green Building Standards, supporting residential tax abatement applications.

As early as possible. Let’s talk now to assess your timeline and how we can support your project.

Yes, LEED does cost more initially, but it has quick payback times. While each project is specific, in general, lower operating costs, less maintenance, higher tenant retention, and higher rental rates all play a role. You can learn more about how these factors will influence LEED payback times on our “Fact Check: Does LEED Really Cost More?” blog. 

LEED focuses on overall sustainability and WELL targets health and productivity in workplaces. Fitwel is similar to WELL, except places more emphasis on a practical approach and is typically less rigorous than WELL. Each is a third-party certification for sustainable buildings, with its own standards and priorities. 

 Where you start with LEED depends on your project. If it is an existing building LEED Building Design and Construction (BD+C) is a great place to start, but if it’s an existing building LEED Operations and Maintenance (O+M) is what you should focus on. In both cases, you need to register you project and then either decide how to design your building to earn points for LEED BD+C or collect existing building data to meet LEED O+M. To learn more about LEED BD+C check out this page and to learn about LEED O+M check out this page. 

Yeah, we can help you achieve LEED certification. We have in-house experts that specialize in all levels of LEED certification that can guide you through the process, from the initial design phase to tracking your data and reporting. Core areas we will focus on to help you earn points to meet your desired LEED certification level are site, water, energy, materials, and indoor environmental quality for your building. 

Yeah, we can help with LEED submittals. We provide a full-service team that integrates from the planning and design phase through to commissioning and ongoing future verification. We can guide your submittals for whichever stage your project needs. Which stage do you need help with? 

Emerald has worked on residential, industrial, and commercial projects. One of our key differentiators is that we have experience and expertise with such a wide variety of project types. Check out the “results” section of our website to see examples of our past projects. 

ENERGY STAR is a program for energy-efficient buildings and products. It is widely known across the country and was developed by the EPA in an effort to reduce energy use, greenhouse gas emission and cost. ENERGY STAR certification can be achieved by new and existing buildings and requires annual recertification. 

Zero Energy Ready Homes is a green building certification from the Department of Energy. It is for homes that meet rigorous energy efficiency standards where a renewable energy system could offset most or all the home's annual energy use.  

The Cleveland Green Building Standard is part of the City’s Climate Action plan to reduce the environmental footprint of the city. It provides tax incentives for new buildings and major renovations that meet specific sustainability criteria, such as indoor air quality, energy-efficient design, and water consumption.  

Yeah, we can help with the Cleveland Green Building Standard. To meet the City’s standard, you have to achieve 1 of 5 third-party green building certifications: Enterprise Green Communities – Affordable Housing, Enterprise Green Communities Compliance, LEED Silver, National Green Building Standard, or Advanced Building Certification Programs. One of our core markets is Cleveland and we have worked closely with several clients to meet the City’s criteria. 

Yeah, we can help you pick the best green rating system. Choosing the best rating system is project specific. It depends on your goals, design criteria, and location.  

Yeah, heat pumps can work in cold climates. Older heat pumps struggled with cold temperatures, but newer ground source heat pumps and cold-climate air source heat pumps are designed to work just as well in cold and warm climates. Heat pumps are a lower cost and emissions option compared to traditional air conditioning and furnaces. 

Yeah, electrification is better for the climate. It allows renewable energy to be used to power 100% of a building’s energy needs. Even if you don’t have onsite renewable energy or an option to source renewables, it makes your building able to capitalize on renewables when they become available. 

Of course, this is what we specialize in. We can help you develop a baseline of your current resource use / sustainability programs, develop sustainability goals, and create a roadmap to help your organization achieve those goals.

Each building is unique, so specific recommendation requires an understanding of where your building currently stands. However, common cost-effective options include improving building operations, updating heating/cooling systems, and adding low flow faucets. More extensive, but impactful options include adding onsite renewables or improving your building’s envelope.

There are many ways to make your building more efficient. To improve energy efficiency some common strategies are to upgrade to energy-efficient systems like LED lighting and heat pumps, consider onsite solar, use energy management systems, and review utility data to optimize operations and boost building efficiency. For water use common strategies include installing low flow faucets and water recycling systems. For solid waste you can add segregated trans cans (general, compost, & recycling) and review the resource efficiency of your internal processes that produce waste. Learn more about improving energy efficiency, water consumption, and waste 

The largest share of a utility bill comes from electricity, so upgrading appliances, swapping to efficient LEDs, and installing an building energy management system to monitor and make real time adjustments to energy consumption are all great options. Reducing water use is similar and can be achieved by low-flow fixtures, upgrading appliances, and recycling water that is used. 

Yeah, recycling helps, it’s a core way to reduce your buildings operational and embodied emissions. Recycling during normal operations allows waste to be repurposed, limiting the fossil fuel use required for resource extraction and manufacturing. By using recycled components in construction, you can continue this cycle. 

You can boost resilience by adding solar panels, using sustainable materials, installing energy management systems, and monitoring your building’s energy, water, and waste performance for smarter, outage-proof operations. All of these options limit the potential risk of changing regulations, climate, and economic downturn. They help your building reduce overall resource consumption, be self-sufficient, and more sustainable. 

Preparing for climate change requires a two-front approach: adaptation and mitigation. Mitigation looks at reducing your overall impact on the environment, while adaptation helps your building adapt to the changing climate. Using low-emissions systems and building materials is great for mitigation. Adaptation focuses on concepts like pursuing green building certifications (to improve overall sustainability), boosting energy efficiency, using sustainable design, and making your building resilient to extreme weather events. 

Start with an energy audit to set a baseline, then track key performance indicators like Energy Utilization Intensity (EUI) and set measurable goals to monitor your utility consumption over time. A great way to continually track and record data for easy access is with a building management system. Learn more about the role building management systems play in our recent blog.

Including EV charging is a smart move. The EV market is growing fast, and more manufacturers are going all-electric, so adding charging supports sustainability (and green building certifications), plus it future-proofs your project. Additionally, many states and local utilities provide incentives for installing EV chargers that can help lower upfront costs. 

Yeah, adding electric vehicles to your fleet is a solid move. It supports sustainability, keeps you ahead of industry trends, and aligns with the growing shift toward electrification. Plus, there is the added incentive that EVs can help lower ongoing operational expenses because they typically have lower fuel and maintenance costs. 

Yes, we can help with that. We’ve worked on several historical preservation projects and helped a few achieve LEED certification. We understand how to balance preservation and new, efficient sustainability upgrades.  

Yeah, sustainability is worth it. While upfront costs are often higher than non-sustainable options, there are options like tax incentives to help offset costs. Additionally, sustainable practices are in demand from investors, consumers, and businesses aiming for long-term value. On the operational front, sustainable design choices reduce ongoing operational expenses that help them pay for themselves over time. 

Sustainability often has higher upfront costs and non-sustainable options, but they save money in the long term. Options like energy efficient lighting reduce your energy bill, while installing onsite solar can cut your electricity bill completely. It also adds countless non-tangible benefits like a better public image, lower insurance costs, and better employee and client retention. We took a look at this exact question in our recent blog Fact Check: Does LEED Really Cost More?