The B3 tools and programs are designed to help make buildings more energy efficient and sustainable. The B3 programs have been developed for and are required on State-funded projects in Minnesota, however they are easily applied to any project. The B3 Guidelines and the SB 2030 Energy Standard can be applied to new and renovated buildings during design. B3 Benchmarking, B3 Energy Efficient Operations and the B3 Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) can be used to evaluate and improve existing buildings.
Design of New Buildings and Renovations
Use B3 Guidelines on new buildings or renovations to meet sustainability goals for site, water, energy, indoor environment, materials and waste.
Use the SB 2030 Energy Standard to meet energy use goals only. If the B3 Guidelines are used, the SB 2030 Energy Standard is automatically included in the process.
Operation of Existing Buildings
Use B3 Benchmarking to track and compare energy use on existing buildings.The B3 Guidelines and SB 2030 Energy Standard direct the user to the B3 Benchmarking tool.
Use B3 Energy Efficient Operations to minimize energy use during building operations. This program can be applied to any existing building.
Use B3 Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) to determine occupants’ perceptions of the buildings’ indoor environmental quality. The POE survey is required for B3 buildings.
Check out the B3 YouTube Channel to learn how Minnesota organizations and project teams have successfully used the B3 programs to design and operate sustainable, energy-efficient buildings.
CONTACT US
If you have any questions or suggestions for improvements, please contact us.
- B3 Program Overall: info@b3mn.org
- B3 Guidelines: guidelines@b3mn.org
- SB 2030 Energy Standard: sb2030@b3mn.org
- B3 Benchmarking: benchmarking@b3mn.org
- B3 Energy Efficient Operations: operations@b3mn.org
- B3 Post Occupancy Evaluation: poe@b3mn.org