Why Maintaining Your WELL Certification Matters?
After achieving WELL certification, ongoing compliance is essential to maintain your status. This includes annual reporting and recertification every three years, during which the building’s performance and any deviations from the initial design are reevaluated. Additionally, continuous data monitoring and documentation submission are required to uphold the WELL Label. Given the significance of these requirements, this article highlights the key processes to follow after certification.
3 Simple Steps to Keep Your WELL Certification Active
Maintaining and extending a WELL certification label is a straightforward process, but it can become challenging if necessary actions are not implemented on time. Based on our experience, the following tips will help your project retain the label and navigate recertification smoothly and efficiently.
Step 1: Prepare for Annual Reporting
Keys to Successful Annual Reporting
To maintain a WELL-certified Label, a project team must comply with annual reporting requirements which should be submitted on an annual basis to the WELL Online Platform. The ongoing reporting covers three main groups:
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Monitoring of Indoor Air Quality, Water Content, and Thermal Comfort Parameters.
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Feedback and Surveys conducted among tenants and visitors.
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Annual maintenance program report
Essential Preparatory Actions:
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Assign a dedicated project manager: This person will be the primary point of contact for all questions and updates related to the certification status.
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Download templates and create a structured documentation portfolio: To store necessary information each year.
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Grant access to the WELL platform: For the project manager and key team members involved in recertification.
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Adhere to the timeline: And complete all required procedures on schedule.
Step 2: Plan for Recertification
Anticipating Renewal: Key Factors
Step 3: Register and Complete Recertification
Recertification of WELL-certified projects takes place every 3 years. However, the following steps can be foreseen in advance:
Major changes in project integrity (new heating, ventilation, and cooling system, a project refurnished, new water supply network) and adaptation of the project boundaries (e.g., change of ownership, addition of floors, exclusion of parts of the building from certification).
Upgrade your certification level: Features that were not initially activated can be added, and the certification level can be increased during recertification.
Utilize the collected ongoing data to reduce or even skip some tests to be completed during the recertification stage. This part is applicable only if an authorized WELL Performance Testing Agent is responsible for the ongoing data collection. Discover more about the different players involved in your WELL certification
Scope of Performance Verification
The performance verification at the recertification stage can cover full scope, reduced scope, or even be skipped.
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Full testing: All parameters are tested in full if the project boundaries and key building systems have changed.
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Reduced testing: The number of tests can be reduced by half if no changes have been made.
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No testing: Only applicable if authorized WELL Performance Testing agents were responsible for the ongoing testing. In this case, collected results will be averaged over a period of 3 years.
Impact of Changes on Testing Scope
Changes that affect the scope of testing include:
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Interior design: doors, appliances, cabinetry, finishes, layout, lighting.
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Exterior design: building area, exterior lighting.
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Mechanical systems: heating, ventilation, air conditioning.
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Structure: building envelope, façade.
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Plumbing systems: water distribution and treatment.
If the changes affect no more than 10% of the relevant parameters, the project may qualify for reduced testing.
Conclusion
In conclusion, maintaining your WELL certification requires a proactive and organized approach. By diligently preparing for annual reporting, planning ahead for recertification, and understanding the scope of performance verification, you can ensure that your project continues to promote the health and well-being of its occupants and retain its valuable WELL certification.
