BOMA Brings BEST Practices Criteria to the US 

August 16, 2023 • John Salustri

With BOMA BEST officially launched in the US, more details of the program’s strengths are coming out. For instance, did you know that there are seven classifications of eligibility? 

As Jani Loots, senior director of Technical Programs for BOMA Canada, explained in a special session during the BOMA International Conference & Expo in Kansas City, qualifying properties are: Office, Light industrial, Enclosed and Open-Air Retail, Multi-Unit Residential, Health Care and an asset class dubbed “Universal.”

She explained that BOMA BEST has the overarching vision of being accessible, inclusive and aspirational, of being educational and producing actionable results. Ultimately, the goal, of course, is to improve building performance. 

As the BOMA BEST website explains, the voluntary certification program is “designed by industry for industry; it provides owners and managers with a consistent framework for assessing the environmental performance and management of existing buildings of all sizes.” 

Toward that end, within the above seven classifications there are five certification levels, encompassing: 

• Baseline Practices; 
• Baseline plus 30 to 59% performance improvement (Bronze level);
• Baseline plus 60 to 79% improvement (Silver);
• Baseline plus 80 to 89% improvement (Gold); and
• Baseline plus 90% and above improvement (Platinum).

What can BOMA BEST do in the US? Loots explained that, in Canada, it has achieved a 25% reduction in energy in participating buildings and a 36% reduction in water use. Want more? BOMA BEST protocols also cut greenhouse gas emissions by an impressive 84%. 

Applicants should know that the process takes six steps—eligibility, registration, filling out a questionnaire, benchmarking, verification and, finally, certification, a process that can span anywhere from nine months to a year.  Go for it, and BEST of luck!

About the Author
John Salustri is editor-in-chief of Salustri Content Solutions, a national editorial advisory firm based in East Northport, New York. He is best known as the founding editor of GlobeSt.com. Prior to launching GlobeSt.com, Salustri was editor of Real Estate Forum.