BOMA BEST^® (Building Environmental Standards) is a national program launched in 2005 to address an industry need for realistic standards for energy and environmental performance of existing buildings based on accurate, independently verified information.

With its latest evolution, BOMA BEST 3.0, the program has stayed true to its core objective, to facilitate the continuous improvement of building operation and maintenance through the use of a questionnaire or survey-based assessment.

BOMA BEST 3.0 provides a consistent framework for owners, managers and building operators to critically assess ten (10) key areas of environmental performance and management:

1. Energy
2. Water
3. Air
4. Comfort
5. Health and Wellness
6. Custodial
7. Purchasing
8. Waste
9. Site
10. Stakeholder Engagement

Certification is available for six specific building types: offices, shopping centres, open air retail plazas, light industrial buildings, multi-unit residential buildings and health care facilities. In addition, a universal category is available for buildings that do not fit in any other category.

Buildings achieving BOMA BEST^® certification are classified as ‘Certified’ (Best Practices/less than 20% on survey), ‘Bronze’ (Best Practices & 20 – 49%), ‘Silver’ (Best Practices & 50 –79%), ‘Gold’ (Best Practices & 80 – 89%), and ‘Platinum’ (Best Practices & 90% or more).

Since its launch in 2005, BOMA BEST^® has seen tremendous uptake, with over 3,500 buildings representing nearly one billion square feet of Canadian commercial real estate, having applied for certification or recertification to date. The growing trend toward building assessment and certification through BOMA BEST^® speaks to the value this Program has provided, and continues to provide, to the Canadian commercial real estate industry.

As of April 22, 2016 BOMA  is also proud to offer BOMA BEST® Sustainable Workplaces, the perfect tool to lead you and your organization to an environmentally sustainable workplace. You already have a green mandate, now you can have a green workplace. Not only will BOMA BEST® Sustainable Workplaces validate what you’ve already done, it will give you a road map to improve key performance indicators. The standardized framework requires you to benchmark, monitor, and set goals in seven areas over which you typically have some measure of control: energy, water, waste, e-waste, construction and renovation, procurement practices, business and employee travel and indoor air quality. To begin greening your workplace, simply visit the BOMA BEST website.

To find out how to certify your building under the BOMA BEST^® program check out the BOMA BEST^® website at www.bomabest.org or call the BOMA Nova Scotia office at 902 425 3717.