ESI has taken its biggest step towards greener building with the recent LEED certifications of head engineer, Robert Kelley, Jr. and Start-Up Manager, Michael Aellig. According to the U.S Green Building Council, LEED certification provides the ability to certify performance of projects in areas like: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, and improved indoor environmental quality, to list a few. “From an HVAC standpoint a LEED Certified Building is more energy efficient than a building meeting only the State’s minimum building code requirements,” Kelley observed. “A building that uses less energy will have lower utility costs for building owners and, over that buildings life, those costs can really add up to huge savings especially as future energy rates rise.” Although LEED certifications aren’t required of builders, Aellig noted that, “If you’re building green today, you need a team that understands the LEED building certification process.” In response to ESI’s reasons for pursuing LEED certification, Aellig added, “Getting the LEED AP Professional Accreditation demonstrates to our clients that we have a thorough understanding of green building practices and principles and the LEED rating system.”