BENTONVILLE — George Nunnally Chevrolet already sees the benefits from building a green building.

The Bentonville auto dealership opened a new office and lot 16 months ago on Moberly Lane and celebrated LEED certification Wednesday.

“Sustainability is a big word right now, and building so we could get certified really didn’t cost that much more,” said Gan Nunnally, general manager. “From a business model standpoint we were able to get a pretty quick dollar turnaround.”

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the third-party verification of environmentally efficient buildings by the U.S. Green Building Council. It recognizes projects working to improve environmental and health issues. Commercial buildings must meet certain prerequisites and earn a minimum of 40 points on a 110-point LEED rating scale to be certified.

Nunnally Chevrolet secured 42 points to reach certification level on its new building at 2700 S.E. Moberly Lane. The dealership moved to its new site in July 2011 after 25 years on Walton Boulevard.

The Moberly Lane building is about twice the size of the company’s previous site, but Nunnally said energy use only increased 20 percent.

One way Nunnally said they reduced energy costs is with a cool roof, one that reflects the sun’s heat.

Mark Cloud, chairman of the Arkansas chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, said reaching LEED certification usually adds just 1 to 5 percent to construction costs.

“And most of that comes from all the extra paperwork that needs to be filled out,” he said. “Ten years ago materials cost a lot more.”

Nunnally Chevrolet is only the second auto dealership in the state to receive LEED certification. The only other is Caldwell Toyota in Conway. There are 79 commercial LEED certified buildings in the state.

Cloud said auto dealerships face hurdles such as large car lots requiring lighting and many windows positioned in the wrong place.

“Daylight is good, but this building actually has too many facing the wrong way,” he said. “But the building needed to face the traffic areas.”

NorthWest Arkansas Community College was also part of Wednesday’s celebration. It is the only community college in the United States authorized to use the Green Building Council curriculum, said Rick Mayes, director of building sciences at NWACC.

“Not only are we training people in the early levels, but also providing continuing education to existing architects and builders,” he said.

Beck Paneitz, NWACC president, said about 300 people have gone through the sustainable building program.

“And some of those people helped with this building,” she said.