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t~ assessment at the Concept Design stage (which corresponds with planning approval), and during final assessment at the construction document stage (which typically corresponds with building permit approval). Once a design has been assessed, a third party review may be conducted. Once verification is complete, the project is awarded a Green Globes certificate. www.greenglobes.com d. High Performance Guidelines: Triangle Region Public Facilities -The Guidelines are both a design guide and a means to quantify how well high performance principles have been applied to a building's design, construction, and maintenance. The Guidelines are based on a point system. Different aspects of a high performance facility are defined, and specified point totals are awarded when they are achieved. The points are assigned under seven general topic headings: Quality management, site, water, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environment, and innovation. There is currently no system for formal awards for achieving levels of performance under the Guidelines. It is our understanding that these Guidelines have been used in the design process for several new County buildings. www.ncgreenbuilding.orq The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) `Energy Star' program was developed to improve energy efficiency in homes and commercial construction. The program focuses on using energy efficient appliances, better insulation techniques, and well-designed heating and cooling systems. While `Energy Star' is not astand-alone green building program, it is a component required by most green building programs (www.energystar.gov). According to studies, The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Building, performed for the California Sustainable Building Task Force, which examined existing data surrounding the costs and financial benefits of 33 LEED certified projects in California, concluded that the average premium for all 33 studied green buildings is slightly less than 2 percent ($3 to $5 per square foot). For buildings that obtained a LEED's Certified (lowest level of LEED certification) level did so with little or no cost premium. Based on information obtained from local homebuilders that are already building green certified homes, the cost for building a home that is energy star compliant would range between $1300 and $1,500. The additional cost to achieve a basic level of green certification (e.g. Bronze level, NAHB Model Green Building Home Guide) fora 2,200 s.f. home would be approximately $6,000 to $8,000, which does include energy star certification. With a savings of 15 to 30 percent on energy bills these cost would be recovered in a relatively short period of time.