Frustrated that integrators can’t seem to become players in the green movement and building automation game? Maybe it’s because the LEED program wasn’t a good fit for integrators. InfoComm is set to launch a new program that may fill the green A/V gap LEED never could.

In a partnership with CompTIA, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and Building Industry Consulting Service International (BICSI), InfoComm is set to roll out the Sustainable Technology Environments Program (STEP), with the goal of increasing the awareness of sustainable design, installation and operation of low-voltage systems.

STEP was launched as a pilot program at InfoComm 2010 and formally announced at InfoComm 2011. The rating system for A/V systems is ready, while the others will be rolled out soon.

“The largest application I see for this will come in existing buildings,” says Allen Weidman, sustainability officer at InfoComm International and executive director of the STEP Foundation. “These systems are changed out and replaced all the time.”

Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO of CompTIA, sees STEP as “a good practical way to raise the visibility of green and allows our members to take it to their customers.” IT will have more to do with the day-to-day operations of a building going forward, he says, noting mechanisms for dimming monitors, shutting down computers and virtualization, among other energy-saving practices.

At this point, less than 10 percent of CompTIA’s membership - possibly closer to 5 percent - are overtly discussing sustainability with their customers, Thibodeaux says. That should change with the STEP initiative. “When people are confronted with an easy-to-use solution, they’ll jump at the chance to use it,” Thibodeaux says.

Developing the STEP Program

The STEP concept started a couple of years ago after InfoComm officials were unsuccessful in their efforts to get the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to recognize A/V with a guaranteed building credit. When the USGBC stuck with its current approach of making architects apply for a possible one-point “innovative” credit, officials knew it was time for a new approach.

“They basically pushed the idea aside,” Weidman says, leading InfoComm’s Green A/V Task Force to put together its own rating system, which eventually became STEP. The system, which is broken into bronze, silver and gold levels, offers integrators up to 180 points for their reliance on sustainable practices. About 30 percent of the credits address integrated or “smart” building technologies. Points can be awarded in a variety of categories, including recycling, printing practices, energy management, and many more.

For now, the program will be focused on commercial projects, although residential could be brought in later. “(STEP) adds value to a building and indicates to the occupants they took that extra step,” he says. “It changes the way folks think about design.”

Gina Sansivero, founder of Project Green AV, a resource for the A/V industry that promotes environmentally-friendly initiatives, is excited about the prospects for STEP, saying LEED just doesn’t work well for A/V and IT professionals.

“A client is not going to” go through all the trouble of applying for a one-point credit they might not even get, when to earn LEED certification, they need many more points than that. The innovative credits apply to control systems and programs, Sansivero says.

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D. Craig MacCormack

Craig MacCormack is a veteran journalist with more than 15 years experience covering local and national news and sports as well as architecture and engineering. He joined Commercial Integrator in January 2011. Follow him on Twitter: @CraigMacCormack.

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