CABA releases Bright Green Buildings Report

"Bright" Green Buildings Provide Significant Return on Investment
CABA-Sponsored Report Highlights Best of Green + Intelligent Building Design

OTTAWA, Oct 23, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA) announced today the release of a comprehensive report on "bright" green buildings. "Bright" green buildings leverage intelligent technologies to support environmental sustainability while providing a significant return on investment (ROI). The report features several real-world examples that show how property companies around the world have employed advances in green building and networking technologies to increase profits, lower costs, and help the environment.

Bright green buildings are intelligent, green and profitable. They are designed to conserve resources such as energy and water and otherwise minimize their impact on the environment. These structures leverage networking technology to integrate and optimize the performance of building control systems, while creating a safe, healthy and comfortable environment for occupants. Fully integrated bright green buildings perform better, cost less to maintain and leave a smaller environmental imprint than their traditionally designed and built counterparts.

The international research firm of Frost and Sullivan authored the report with contributions from several industry leaders. Companies providing input include:

-- BAE Systems
-- Cisco Systems, Inc.
-- CommScope, Inc.
-- Delta Controls Inc.
-- Encelium Technologies Inc.
-- Global Environment Fund
-- Herman Miller Inc.
-- InfoComm International
-- Johnson Controls Ltd.
-- Legrand (Ortronics/The Wattstopper)
-- Natural Resources Canada
-- Robinson Solutions Inc.
-- Sloan Monitored Systems
-- Trane
-- Tridel Corporation
-- Panduit, Corp.

"This report provides the entire building industry with a useful primer and discussion about the role and performance benefits of integrated control systems in green buildings," states Peter Templeton, Senior VP of Education & Research at the U.S. Green Building Council.

"The conclusions of the study help advance progress toward achieving our vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation."

Bright green buildings combine the best of intelligent and green building design:

An intelligent building features fully networked systems that integrate data, voice and video with security, HVAC, lighting and other electronic controls on a single Internet Protocol (IP) network platform. The networked systems monitor building conditions to allow appropriate, real-time adjustments to facilitate user management, space utilization, energy conservation, and comfort and systems improvements. Bright green structures improve long-term economic performance by reducing energy and water usage, as well as construction and demolition waste.

Green buildings reduce emissions, decrease waste and improve energy efficiencies. These buildings also maintain a green architecture through the use of recycled and reused products.

"As the research report documents, a lower initial cost of installation of the physical layer infrastructure between traditional buildings and 'bright' green and intelligent buildings is just one of the many benefits enterprise end-users have realized by opting for an intelligent building infrastructure solution," said John Cowley, senior business development manager for CommScope Enterprise Solutions. "From security to lighting to HVAC to communications, many corporations are seeing reduced costs and conserving energy by deploying IP-based building systems and using a common infrastructure backbone. This convergence approach to network infrastructure enables building owners to more efficiently and cost-effectively manage building operations while protecting the environment in the process. It's becoming an investment in the future."

"IP-based building technologies will become mainstream when the cost-saving benefits become more fully understood in both the IT and building management communities," explains Marybeth Marx, VP Marketing for Ortronics/Legrand. "We believe that the efforts CABA and our research partners have made on this project highlight the benefits that can be enabled by IP technology in deploying intelligent building technology." Adds Jeff Park, Sustainable Development Manager at Ortronics/Wattstopper/Legrand: "Intelligent buildings are engineered to last, making them efficient and easier to maintain. These buildings have higher resale values, and, they meet current needs, without compromising future generations' needs."

"Sustainable buildings demand intelligent building controls as an enabler for the complex strategies that these buildings require to operate. Even more critical is a core team of designers and contractors who are committed to the Integrated Design Process and the customer's goals.Teaming with qualified and innovative project members is an essential requirement for these projects to be successful. Delta Controls and our network of Partners are ready to be part of that team," says Brian Dutt, VP Sales and Marketing, Delta Controls. "Their higher operational efficiency and lower operational and energy costs, offer a very substantial ROI."

"Intelligent buildings are becoming popular across North America," says Ron Zimmer, president and CEO of CABA. "CABA is working to provide more information on this movement to support the continued growth of the industry. We are proud to sponsor this report, which reveals how bright green buildings lower owner operating costs due to more efficient operations and better control, thereby enhancing the value of the buildings themselves."

The report includes several real-world examples that show how these buildings are built and work to the occupants' benefit. To review the full report, read related case studies, or learn more about CABA, please visit www.caba.org/brightgreen.

About CABA
The Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA) is a leading industry association that promotes advanced technologies in homes and buildings in North America. More information is available at www.caba.org.

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