It’s the most wonderful time of the year during winter break. The students get a nice vacation from their studies during the holidays. As for the school facility manager, you get to play catch up, thanks to the empty halls and classrooms. Even though the students use this time to relax, sleep in, and get together with friends and family, you need to use this time wisely to make sure everything is in order for the remainder of the winter months.

Here’s 10 things school facility managers should take care of during winter break to make sure their school is in tip-top shape.

Maintain Your HVAC System

Heat is crucial during the frigid winter months, so you’ll need to perform a few audits to make sure everything iscare and maintenace functioning at its best. Look for any components that may need a replacement, so you can take care of it during the break. Any type of issue that can prevent your school from being heated may actually prolong winter break, so be sure to keep the system in great shape.

Winterize Your School to Retain Heat

While properly maintaining your HVAC system is a crucial step on the winter break checklist, you’ll also want to be sure you’re not wasting any heat. Find any weak areas that result in your school losing heat and energy. You’ll want to air seal these areas, so your school doesn’t suffer from drafty rooms or areas that can’t retain heat.

Inspect Your Pipes

Winter brings the cold, and if your school isn’t properly heated, this can cause more problems than just frigid temperatures. If your school suffers from the cold, or loses power, this can have a huge effect on your pipes. These pipes can freeze and burst, so you’ll want to be sure that not only are they in great shape, but they’re getting enough heat to remain at any optimal temperature.

Perform a Test of Your Generator

Due to the snow and ice buildup on tree branches, they can often buckle and break under the tremendous weight and the brisk temperatures, which can be troublesome if there are any nearby powerlines. If you lose power, which is a significant certainty during the winter, you’ll be relying on your backup generator to make sure your school remains at an acceptable temperature, so your pipes don’t freeze and any electronics don’t suffer.

Replace Faulty or Broken Components

On day one of winter break, you’ll want to perform an inspection of your school and its various fixtures and

The doors and fixed panels used in the Eclipse partition system provide both high design and privacy. Here we show how to ensure proper gapping and consistency on all panels and doors in order to achieve the desired sleek lines.

components. This can include lights, water fountains, electrical outlets, or even radiators. Check each of these components to make sure they’re working, or if they need to be replaced before the students and teachers come back to resume the school year.

Inspect the Roof

During the winter, the roof of your school takes quite a beating from the snow, rain, and ice, especially if your roof is flat and doesn’t have any slopes or angles that can help combat the elements. You can work to remove any of the snow and ice build-up with a shovel or rock salt, but you’ll also want to look for any issues or problems that could affect the integrity of your roof. Be sure your drain pipes are free of debris and caulk any noticeable cracks.

Clear the Snow & Ice

Depending on how hard the weather hits your area, this may be a continuous process during winter break. You’ll want to clear the parking lots and designate the snow piles to areas out of the way. Clear the walkways and paths to your school’s entrances, and salt the ground to help reduce any ice buildup.

Invest in New Floor Mats

The floors in your school can take quite a beating during the winter, with students tracking in clumps of snow and even rock salt from the walkways. You’ll want to get some heavy-duty floor mats for the entryways to help reduce the snowy debris from damaging your floors. For the best results, place heavy-duty floor mats outside the entrances to pick up most of the snow and salt, which will reduce the amount actually making it into the school.

Start a Germ & Bacteria Removal Plan

School absences and sickness are rampant during the winter, so one of the best ways to combat this is by focusing on areas with considerable germ and bacteria buildup. The most susceptible areas are the restrooms and the locker rooms. A thorough cleaning can do the trick; however, if there is mold within the components, like your partitions, you may need to find a suitable replacement. HDPE plastic partitions can drastically reduce sickness because they don’t absorb moisture and won’t sprout mold.

Get Your Painting Done

Due to the lack of students filling the hallways and classrooms, now’s the time to get some painting done. If there are components or features in your school that are starting to fade in color, or if they’re chipping, you can get the painting done without having to worry about the VOC emissions affecting student health. Be sure to do this early in the break, so the paint can be dry, ensuring your school is free of the paint smells by the time students and teachers return. You can even invest in HDPE lockers to help avoid any locker painting in the future.

Use your winter break wisely and get these crucial services completed, so you can avoid any major problems that occur throughout the winter.

Want some more tips and tricks on most effective facility maintenance methods? Download this free eBook, The Ultimate Guide for Facility Maintenance & Property Solutions, from your friends at Scranton Products.

 

 

When you’re searching for products for your facility, one of the most important factors to consider is material. The material of your products makes all the difference when it comes to durability, sustainability and aesthetics. You also want to make sure that you’re purchasing materials that will hold up over time Some popular materials include high density polyethylene (HDPE) and metal. If you’re torn between the two or you’re just looking for more information, keep reading to find out which material is the better option based on what matters most to you.

Pleasing Aesthetics

You want to make sure that the products in your facility add to your building, or blend in, rather than standing out and looking unsightly. Traditional metal lockers have vents and handles that protrude from the surface, which is not aesthetically pleasing. These protruding elements may also lead to bumps and scrapes and reduce safety in the facility. HDPE plastic lockers have vents built into the surface with recessed handles and locks for a smooth, clean look. The recessed handles and locks help to improve safety by eliminating the risk of bumps and scrapes.

Damage Resistant

Overall, HDPE plastic holds up better than metal against damages such as impacts, scratches and even graffiti.

  • Impact: Traditional lockers are made from 16 gauge steel which makes the material less than 1/16 of an inch thick. HDPE plastic lockers are made of rigid 1/2 inch thick rigid HDPE plastic which makes them 59 times stronger, which means that plastic lockers are more resistant to impacts and dents than traditional metal lockers.
  • Scratches: Scratches are also commonly seen on metal lockers which expose the metal underneath the paint. This requires paint to cover up or complete replacement. However, HDPE plastic lockers are one solid color throughout. You won’t have to spend time and money covering scratches or chips in the paint.
  • Graffiti: If you have to deal with graffiti in your facility, you’ll want to choose a material that can easily be cleaned. Markers can be very difficult to remove from metal lockers, and could even leave behind residue, but because HDPE is easy to clean, graffiti readily wipes off of the plastic’s non-porous surface. Stickers and contact paper can also be easily removed.

Maintenance

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Choosing locker materials that constantly need to be repaired, replaced or cleaned gets costly. While budget is always an important factor in choosing materials, it’s crucial to understand that products that are the least expensive initially could end up costing you in the future. Traditional metal lockers have a low initial cost, making them a top choice for facilities. However, additional expenses for these lockers, such as cleaning, painting and general maintenance will add up. The initial cost of metal lockers is lower than HDPE plastic, but HDPE plastic is less expensive over time. If you’re considering installing lockers or bathroom partitions into your facility, consider HDPE plastic over metal lockers for durable and sustainable products. Click here to find out where to buy Scranton Products.

Building owners and administrators are always looking for ways to keep operational costs down, but many don’t consider how some design oversights and building defects can lead to higher maintenance costs. In this post, we’ll investigate the most common issues so you can avoid making the same mistakes when planning your facility.

Common Building Defects

Two common building defects affect facilities around the world: leaks and cracks. The roof is one place where a leak can be especially detrimental. This is especially true if the building has a flat roof. A leak can occur if there’s a tear in the waterproofing membrane. Tears can happen do to damage or poor workmanship.

Once the tear has developed, rainwater will start to seep in. What’s most alarming is that depending on where the leak is and what kind of ceiling is used in your building, it could take weeks or months before the leak is spotted. During that time, it could cause extensive damage.

 

Common Building Defects

Cracks, like leaks, can cause trouble no matter where they form, but what’s usually costlier to repair isn’t the crack itself but the cause of the crack. For example, a building that was created on soil that wasn’t properly settled may crack as the ground moves. This may happen repeatedly until the soil has settled completely.

But in addition to these building defects, poor design can also increase the cost of maintenance.

How Building Design Leads to High Maintenance Costs

Not every design concept is cost-effective in terms of routine maintenance. In fact, some design flaws can actually inflate your annual maintenance expenses.

Below are a few examples of the most common building design mistakes that can increase maintenance costs:

  • Installing extremely high ceiling lights that can only be reached by erecting scaffolding. Should a light bulb need to be replaced or the light fixture need to be repaired, it will take much longer to service.
  • Installing an air conditioning unit above a drop ceiling in an area where a ladder can’t be set up properly, like over a toilet partition in the bathroom. The result is a unit that’s poorly maintained and will probably need to be replaced.
  • Lights that aren’t accessible. These are usually installed during the construction of a new building, but since there’s no way to reach them, the lights are neglected once they burn out.
  • Trees planted too close to the building. The debris from above can clog downspouts and damage the roof. Meanwhile, growing roots below can damage the building walls and foundation.
  • Using up lights around the building. These are installed directly into the ground or concrete and typically fail due to moisture penetrating the fixture.

You can probably see how these common building defects could easily lead to higher maintenance costs. That’s why it’s so important to make sure that you plan carefully when designing your facility.

Contact Scranton Products to learn more about our cost-effective lockers, bathroom partitions, and more!

When building a commercial or public bathroom, the partition material is usually one of the most overlooked elements. At first glance, its only purpose is for privacy, so the only thing you need to consider when making your choice is visual appeal, which is why most people opt for stainless steel bathroom partitions. However, is this really the best choice for your bathroom partition material?

Scranton Products wants you to make the best choice for your new bathroom partitions, so we’re here to compare plastic HDPE bathroom partitions against stainless steel so you can see the difference before your choose. Read more

One of the most important factors that designers and facilities managers must consider when selecting materials for their projects is the total cost of ownership of those materials or products.

Total cost of ownership is the true cost of a product, taking into account not only a product’s initial purchase price as well as its lifetime costs. For instance, a second-hand car with an appealing purchase price may turn out to have maintenance costs that will make it considerably more expensive to own over the long-term compared to a brand new car that comes with a three-year warranty. If you don’t do your homework to check out how good a deal the car really is, you might wind up paying more for the second-hand “bargain” than you would have paid for the new car.

When selecting bathroom partitions, there are multiple factors to consider when deciding on the best choice for your project. Design, color, and texture choices must work with the total bathroom concept, and the partitions must provide a range of flexible configurations and options. In addition, the material the partitions are made from should be attractive, durable and easy to care for, and the purchase price should be a fair price for what you are getting. Once you’ve checked off all those boxes, there is one more box left to consider.

 

True Cost to Own

It’s important to look not only at the purchase price of the partitions you are considering, but also at what it will cost to maintain and repair those partitions over their expected lifetime, and how well the product warranty protects your investment. Just like the person buying the used car, if you don’t’ carefully consider what your purchase will cost over time, you’ll wind up paying a lot more than you ever expected.

 

Compare Costs

The chart below compares the initial and total costs of four of the most widely selected types of partitions over a 25-year period, based on replacing each type of partition at the end of its warranty period. Over a 25-year period, Scranton Products HDPE partitions cost significantly less than the other materials, while providing the longest life cycle due to their performance, durability and long warranty.

 

Consider What’s Inside

When selecting the right material for your partitions, take a close look at what’s inside. Constructed of 1” premium HDPE resin, Scranton Products bathroom partitions are solid throughout and will never absorb moisture. Impermeable and non-porous, solid plastic HDPE does not support the growth of mold, mildew, and bacteria. With the exception of Scranton Products solid plastic HDPE, the products below are constructed with either a cardboard, particleboard or kraft paper core. These products are at high-risk for moisture penetration, and are subject to mold and mildew.

 

 

Consider Durability

Formulated with a solid color throughout, Scranton Products HDPE will never chip. In addition, in an impact test conducted following ASTM standards, Scranton Products solid HDPE plastic had 59 times greater resistant to impacts, dings, and denting when compared to metal.

 

Consider Maintenance

Scranton Products HDPE bathroom partitions will never rust or corrode, and never require painting, significantly reducing maintenance costs. Graffiti can be easily wiped clean with a common non-abrasive cleaner, and scratches are difficult to see and can be easily repaired. In addition, Scranton Products bathroom partitions are fully power washable and steam cleanable, reducing cleaning time and costs.

 

Consider Warranty

To protect your investment, Scranton Products backs its partitions with a 25-year warranty – the best warranty in the industry.

 

Consider the True Cost

When considering bathroom partitions, look for partitions that offer a true low cost of ownership and that provide an outstanding warranty to protect your investment. Invest in Scranton Products HDPE – the smart choice.

To learn more about how Scranton Products partitions are the smart choice, download our cost of ownership brochure.

 

Managing a facility isn’t always the easiest job because you need to stay on top of everything. As a facility manager, you have strict codes and guidelines to adhere to in order to supply your occupants with a safe and healthy environment.

To properly follow through on the maintenance of your facility, we’ll provide you with some crucial tips so you can ensure that your building is a safe environment that runs as efficiently as possible.

Guidelines for Standard Maintenance

It’s important to always be a step ahead of maintenance. To do so, it’s strongly advised that you perform system checks every few months. Check your heating system, water pumps, and electrical systems to make sure that everything is in order and that the systems are performing as expected.

When you perform your inspections, don’t leave any stones unturned. It’s important to be thorough in your examinations because you could spot a slight issue that, if left unchecked, could result in serious problems. By checking these systems and spotting any issues, you’ll save yourself a ton in future repair costs.

Preventive maintenance is key to averting severe damage of system failures because you can effectively catch the issue before it becomes financially taxing. You’ll want to:

  • Check your heating system
  • Evaluate your water system
  • Assess the electrical systems

Improving & Maintaining Indoor Air Quality

Many factors can have a detrimental effect on your indoor air quality. Common sources include pollen, dust, and fungal spores. You can help to combat these pollutants in a variety of ways.

Never underestimate the value of a floor mat. This is your first line of defense in preventing these pollutants from making their way from occupant shoes into your building. Placing a floor mat on the exterior of your building and directly inside the entryway or lobby will help to reduce these materials from working their way into your air.

One of the hot spots for poor air quality can be found in your facility’s bathrooms. Due to the heavy foot traffic and the abundance of moisture and humidity, the restrooms can be a breeding ground for pollutants. Luckily, there are several steps to increase the air quality of your restrooms.

Automatic air fresheners can be effective for combatting the odors, but the problem may be within your bathroom stalls.

Most plastics can absorb moisture and sprout mold, further reducing the quality of your air. So think about getting new bathroom stalls and partitions made of stronger materials like high-density polyethylene (HDPE). HDPE materials are impervious to mold growth and provide a durable structure that can outlast most plastics.

Make Your Facility Sustainable & Efficient

It’s every facility manager’s goal to make his or her building more sustainable and operate at maximum efficiency. There are several things you can do to increase the efficiency of your facility and make it more sustainable and eco-friendly. Some of these steps can help to reduce operating costs as well as reduce your facility’s environmental impact.

Making the switch to green cleaning materials has several benefits because they’re made from natural ingredients, which can reduce the adverse health effects and chronic illness. Using green cleaning products will help to reduce any VOC emissions from contaminating your air.

Another approach to keeping your building efficient and sustainable is through the use of sustainable building products. You learned earlier that HDPE is more durable than most thermoplastics and building materials. But did you know that it’s 100% recyclable too? Almost all HDPE products are made from post-consumer material, making it a versatile and sustainable building material you can use to make your facility more eco-friendly and sustainable.

Want to learn more tips about maintaining your facility? Check out these blog posts, How HDPE Can Save Your Facility Maintenance Costs and Maintenance Tips for Commercial Restrooms

When redesigning a commercial bathroom or adding lockers to a locker room or hallway, architects are burdened with a significant amount of detailed planning. Functionality, convenience, and design need to be considered through each step of planning to completion. Because of the numerous working elements that go into building a new bathroom or locker room, it’s easy for architects to overlook some crucial aspects of two of the most important pieces of infrastructure in the entire design: bathroom partitions and lockers.

To work toward a more convenient and more cost-efficient commercial bathroom and locker installation for architects and facility managers, Scranton Products is here to highlight seven crucial mistakes that architects may make when choosing bathroom partitions and locker materials.

Here’s a list of the most common mistakes you’ll want to avoid when picking out your bathroom partitions or locker materials.

Choosing Lockers and Partitions That Lack Durability

Too often, architects forget about the importance of the durability of locker and partition material. It can be easy to think that since these materials aren’t exposed to the natural environment, their durability doesn’t matter. However, many factors can affect the lockers or partitions and even reduce their physical appeal, such as graffiti and scratches. The more durable your lockers and partitions are, the less those factors will contribute to devaluing them. If you take the time to look into high-density polyethylene (HDPE) material, you’ll see how it can improve the durability of your partitions and lockers.

Not Considering Germ Resistance

Bathrooms and locker rooms can be cesspools of germs and bacteria. Thanks to high levels of moisture, it’s easy for bathroom partitions to accumulate mold or mildew. Results from a laboratory test showed that, for a clean and healthy bathroom, opting for HDPE bathroom partitions such as Hiny Hiders Partitions gives you more microbial resistance than phenolic bathroom partitions.

Building Lockers and Partitions That Aren’t Reliable

Reliable and strong materials will help to maintain your lockers and bathroom partitions so they remain appealing and functional over time. Sometimes certain materials don’t serve as reliable bathroom partitions or lockers, which can lead to the following:

  • Rust and corrosion
  • Dents
  • Screw release

You’ll want to choose a strong material, like HDPE, that can withstand these common issues.

Using Non-Sustainable Material

When architects don’t choose sustainable, environmentally friendly materials for bathroom partitions or lockers, they limit the reusability of the materials and aren’t building in the most environmentally friendly way. When building your bathroom partitions, you want to make sure that you use sustainable products, such as the HDPE you’ll find in Hiny Hiders Partitions, for several reasons:

  • HDPE Hiny Hiders Partitions are 100% recyclable and are available with up to 100% post-consumer content, unlike phenolic material and SCRC.
  • HDPE Hiny Hinders Partitions feature 25% to 100% pre-consumer content, while SCRC has none and phenolic material has a maximum of 22%.
  • Unlike phenolic material, HDPE Hiny Hiders Partitions have low-emitting materials and are free of urea-formaldehyde resins.

Not Accounting for Locker Noise Level

The noise made from just one locker being slammed shut can be excruciating. Now multiply that by 10, 15, 20, or more, and you’ll have one booming sound. This is a critical aspect of lockers that architects don’t tend to account for when selecting their locker material. If you’re building lockers in hallways or rooms with shared walls, you want to be sure that you opt for the quietest ones available. Too often architects automatically settle on metal lockers, which create a loud, distracting environment around the locker room. HDPE Lockers are built to be three times quieter than generic metal lockers.

Overlooking Aesthetics

A mistake that architects frequently make is overlooking the aesthetics of different locker materials. While it’s easy to think that all lockers essentially accomplish the same goal and that their looks don’t really matter, there are some significant benefits that go far beyond beautification. For example, traditional metal lockers continually fail to advance their design with their protruding vents and bulky locks.

Duralife HDPE lockers solve both of these issues by breaking away from the confines of generic and bulky locker construction. Duralife lockers have vents cut into the locker surface and have built-in combination locks, resulting in a sleek-looking locker that eliminates the risk of students getting clipped by locker pieces extending past the surface.

Ignoring Future Maintenance Costs

When installing bathroom partitions or lockers, you want the price of building them to be the only cost that you have to worry about. You don’t want to have to throw away money each week for locker or partition maintenance that you weren’t aware would be so recurrent. Unfortunately, this is the result of a mistake that architects frequently make. Think about the common maintenance requirements for SCRC and phenolic bathroom partitions and metal lockers:

  • Rust and corrosion
  • Dents
  • Scratches
  • Lack of screw retention
  • Mold and mildew buildup
  • Germ growth
  • Graffiti

Fortunately, HDPE bathroom partitions and lockers are designed to withstand these harmful issues. That means maintenance costs of HDPE material is much lower, so over time, they’re a financially viable solution compared to their competitors.

 Making the Right Decisions

Architects and facility managers can make numerous mistakes when selecting materials for new bathroom partitions or lockers, all of which lead to constant inconveniences. When architects make any of the following mistakes:

  • Choosing less durable materials
  • Not considering germ resistance
  • Building with unreliable materials
  • Thinking sustainability isn’t a factor
  • Not accounting for noise levels
  • Overlooking aesthetics
  • Ignoring future maintenance costs

The result is usually bathroom partitions and lockers that don’t perform as desired. The truth is that many architects frequently make these mistakes because they don’t know about the benefits of HDPE materials. When you choose HDPE Hiny Hiders bathroom partitions or Duralife lockers, you opt for materials that are more durable, safer, convenient, and more cost-effective, leading to lower maintenance costs and a longer lifespan.

Want to learn more about HDPE products can benefit your facility? Contact us at Scranton Products!

 

Keeping your commercial restroom clean is essential if you want to run a high-quality facility, prevent dangerous health hazards, and deter vandalism. To help you and your cleaning staff stay on top of routine cleanings, we’ve created this commercial restroom cleaning checklist. This helpful guide will make sure that you don’t miss a single inch of grout so your guests can enjoy a comfortable, welcoming experience inside your facility.

The 7 Steps for Cleaning Your Commercial Restroom

No matter how big or small your restroom might be, it shouldn’t take a small army hours to clean it. Follow these seven steps and you can have your commercial restroom looking new in no time:

1. Put Up Wet Floor Signs

Place signs inside the bathroom and at the entrance to let anyone who may enter know that the floor

could be slippery.

2. Dust, Sweep, and Empty Trash

Dust all fixtures, vents, countertops, etc. before sweeping the floors. Then empty the trash receptacles and put in a new liner.

3. Refill Soap, Paper Towels, and Toilet Paper

Refill all soap, paper towel, and toilet paper dispensers so occupants will have access to the sanitation products.

4. Clean Toilets and Urinals

For the best results, pre-treat the toilet bowls and inside the urinals first and allow the cleaner to sit for

one to two minutes. Then, clean the toilets and urinals thoroughly both inside and out.

5. Clean Sinks, Mirrors, and Countertops

There should be no smudges, fingerprints, water stains, soap buildup, or other marks when you’re finished.

6. Clean Walls and Fixtures

Wipe down the walls, doors, knobs, bathroom partitions, and other fixtures.

7. Mop the Floor

With a wet mop, work your way from the back of the restroom toward the door. Allow the floor to dry completely before opening the restroom to guests to prevent any unwanted injury.

Keeping Your Commercial Restroom Clean

Now that you’re familiar with the necessary steps to ensure that your commercial restroom is absolutely clean, you’re ready to continue keeping this vital section of your facility free of germs, dirt, and bacteria. Follow through on a regular restroom cleaning regimen to help keep your commercial bathrooms spotless and sanitary.

Want to learn more about how to maintain and even transform your commercial bathroom? Check out this blog post, 8 Ways to Improve Your Commercial Bathroom’s Experience, from your friends at Scranton Products.

Industry leaders offer a unique value to their clients.

It starts with a razor-sharp focus on their clients’ most important issues. Industry leaders dig deep into these issues and come up with innovative ways to solve them. They also know that innovation is more than coming up with great ideas. Industry leaders know how to innovate. They excel in operational execution and have the methodologies and processes in place to deliver value consistently to their customers.

As North America’s leading manufacturer of HDPE bathroom partitions and lockers, Scranton Products is a proven industry leader, focused on responsive innovation, and offering our customers quality products that are built and tested to the highest standards.

What drives innovation at Scranton Products? It is understanding the needs of our customers – the need for high-value

As a market leader, our products are built to stand up to the harshest environments and are backed by Scranton Products’ industry-leading warranties, so you can rest easy that your investment is protected for years to come.

As a market leader, we are committed to sustainability. All of our products are made from recycled materials and are 100% recyclable. They are also free of VOC emissions and are GREENGUARD Gold Certified. In addition, throughout our manufacturing process, we’re conscious of our impact on the environment and practice factory-responsible recycling.

As a market leader, we are a true partner to our clients, offering responsive innovation, cutting edge solutions, unsurpassed product quality, excellent customer support, and one of the largest distribution networks in the industry.

To learn more about Scranton Products and the unique value we offer our clients, please visit: https://www.scrantonproducts.com/products/

 

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally recognized “green” building certification. LEED certification standards lead to a safer, greener, cleaner and more energy efficient environment within the building where they are applied. With a certification process more than 25 years in the making, LEED has grown to become the most widely used green building rating system in the world. As a process, it offers third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at reducing energy and water usage, promoting better indoor air quality, and improving quality of life.

 

Third Party Verification System

As an internationally recognized third-party verification system, LEED influences how buildings and communities are planned, constructed, maintained and operated. In order for a building project to earn LEED Certification, it must meet certain criteria and goals within the following categories:

Location and Transportation – how close a project is to mass transit
Materials and Resources – use of locally sourced, sustainable products
Water Efficiency – reducing potable water usage
Energy and Atmosphere – improving energy performance and indoor air quality
Sustainable Sites – utilizing nearby natural resources and ecosystems that can naturally take part of the design, minimizing environmental pollution
Regional Priority Credits – addressing a particular concern based on location
Innovation – any idea not covered under the main LEED areas

Each of these credit categories contains a varied series of suggested opportunities. The building project earns points when it properly uses and integrates these opportunities. The LEED certification is applicable to both residential and commercial construction, and projects can earn one of four certification levels: Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum.

 

Image used with the permission of the U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. under its “Limited License” provision

 

Benefits Of LEED Certification

 

Any project, at any stage in development, can pursue LEED certification. Although LEED-certified projects typically have a higher initial investment because of stricter standards for construction, materials and labor, this initial investment can be recovered with lower operating costs. According to a study conducted by the New Building Institute, LEED buildings average a 24 percent decrease in energy consumption. In addition to reduced energy and water usage, LEED buildings also provide substantial reductions in costs associated with building maintenance, management of construction waste, and liability.

LEED-certified buildings also offer many other benefits. Typically built with occupant comfort in mind, these buildings offer increased sunlight, open spaces, and significantly better air quality, creating healthier, more comfortable, and very attractive places to live, work or play. For communities, having a LEED certified building not only reinforces the community’s commitment to sustainability, it also brings jobs to the community, since one of LEED’s best practices is utilizing local labor and materials wherever possible.

 

A Commitment to Sustainability
At Scranton Products, we believe in supporting a healthier environment and are focused on providing our customers innovative sustainable solutions that create a positive environmental impact.

 

Because our products are designed to meet specific LEED requirements, incorporating Scranton Products sustainable HDPE materials into your projects can contribute points toward LEED v4 certification in the following categories:

 

Material & Resources:

·    Recycled Content

·    REACH Optimization

·    Construction Waste Diversion

Indoor Air Quality:

·      Low Emitting Materials

·      Interior Lighting – Surface

·       Reflectance

 

For more information on our complete suite of sustainable products, please contact us to start a conversation today. All of our products are 100% recyclable and are made from recycled materials, incorporating between 30 and 85% recycled content, including both post-consumer and pre-consumer materials. In addition, our products are free of VOC emissions and are GREENGUARD Gold Certified.