“Green” is in when it comes to future construction projects funded by Niagara County.

Thanks to a recently adopted resolution by the Niagara County Legislature, construction of new county buildings and major renovations at existing ones will now have to conform to standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit group that advocates for environmentally friendly construction practices.

Long-time supporters of such a law say the move will significantly improve energy efficiency in county buildings while leading to substantial savings on the county’s future utility bills.

“I think it’s gigantic,” said Bob Baxter, a member of the Niagara County Environmental Management Council and conservation chair of the Niagara Heritage Partnership. “I think it’s a giant step forward. I hope it’s the harbinger of things to come in Niagara County.”

The new standards conform to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, a nationally accepted benchmark for design and construction. Under the LEED system, construction projects are awarded points for achieving efficiencies in various categories, including environmental quality, building materials, energy and atmosphere. As a result of the new legislation, future county funded construction projects will be required to be built to a minimum rating of silver on the LEED scale. To receive silver certification, a project must achieve at least 50 percent of the credits available.

The federal government as well as many other states and municipalities across the country have already adopted similar legislation.

“It’s a no-brainer that energy prices are out of sight,” said Dave Brooks, a Niagara Falls High School teacher and member of the county’s Environmental Management Council, an advisory group that helped draft the county’s green standards legislation. “In 10 years, the buildings the county has today are going to be extremely expensive to heat and (taxpayers) are going to pay for that.”

They may also pay more — at least upfront — for the construction of green county buildings. Estimates provided to the county indicate that buildings constructed under LEED silver certification standards can increase overall construction costs by up to 3 percent. Those estimates also show, however, that green buildings offer returns of about 10 times the initial investment as savings are realized through lower utility costs during the lifespans of those facilities.

“The payback is so extreme,” Brooks said.

In addition to requiring county-funded projects to follow LEED standards, the new legislation mandates that the county manager meet with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to see if any relevant programs are incentives are available. It also requires the county to request an audit from NYSERDA before any capital project, renovation or new construction that requires a bid.

Future proposals and bids for county projects will explain the new construction standards. County contractors will not be required to adhere to them in the event a project is funded, in part, by another agency that does not agree to follow the LEED system.

Legislator Jason Murgia, D-Niagara Falls, who introduced the legislation and helped get it approved through various county committees, said he intends to work with the county’s engineering firm to make sure the new standards are followed if a proposed $40 million Department of Public Works facility is constructed as planned in Cambria.

“Short term, we have maybe a 2 to 3 percent increase,” Murgia said. “Long term, we get that back tenfold and we are being environmentally friendly.”

Contact reporter Mark Scheer at 282-2311, ext. 2250.