M II A II R II K
May 12, 2010, 1:18 PM
LEED certified buildings: Not as green as they claim?
09/01/09
By Timon Singh
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Read More: http://www.americainfra.com/news/leed-certified-buildings/
Buildings covet the LEED certification; standing for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, the certification projects an image of environmental responsibility whilst attracting tenants, tax credits and allowing the landlord to charge premium rents. However, officials at the United States Green Building Council have done research to suggest that a quarter of LEED certified buildings do not save as much energy as their designs predicted and that most do not track energy consumption once in use, rendering their certification pointless. "The plaque should be installed with removable screws," said Henry Gifford, an energy consultant in New York City. "Once the plaque is glued on, there's no incentive to do better."
The Federal Building in downtown Youngstown, Ohio has been cited as an example of the failure of the LEED certification, which is the country's most recognised seal for green and eco-friendly buildings. According to an assessment done last year of the building, its efficiency didn't even rank it high enough to qualify for an Energy Star label, an certification that is awarded simply by looking at annual utility bills. It emerged that the building's cooling system was a major contributor to its lack of energy-saving. A major gas consumer, the building relied on 'window dressing' such as landscaping rather than actually providing renewable and eco-friendly sources of power. Revelations such as these have led many industry experts to declare that a LEED seal should be withheld until a building proves itself energy efficient. Not just that, but energy-use data from every rated building should be made public. However, constantly revised guidelines are pushing these targets further and further from being achieved, leading to outrage from certain building owners.
LEED energy standards have grown more stringent over the years as the need for climate control increases. The Youngstown federal building, which was built in 2002, would not be certified under the current version of the program due to ever-changing standards. The LEED standard goes through periodic revisions, and this year, the minimum energy requirements needed for the basic LEED certification for new buildings were raised. Of the 121 new buildings certified in 2006, the Green Building Council found that more than half - 53 percent - did not qualify for the Energy Star label and 15 percent scored below 30 in that program, meaning they used more energy per square foot than at least 70 percent of comparable buildings in the existing national stock. Such complications have led the LEED to consider moving towards the E.P.A's Energy Star model, which attests to energy efficiency only for the year the label was given, similar to restaurant ratings. Scot Horst, an LEED executive said, "Ultimately, where we want to be is, once you're performing at a certain level, you continue to be re-certified." However, whether this will make landlords make a concerted effort to reduce power output remains to be seen.
09/01/09
By Timon Singh
http://www.americainfra.com/media/site-images/INFRAUS/USINFRA-logo.jpg
Read More: http://www.americainfra.com/news/leed-certified-buildings/
Buildings covet the LEED certification; standing for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, the certification projects an image of environmental responsibility whilst attracting tenants, tax credits and allowing the landlord to charge premium rents. However, officials at the United States Green Building Council have done research to suggest that a quarter of LEED certified buildings do not save as much energy as their designs predicted and that most do not track energy consumption once in use, rendering their certification pointless. "The plaque should be installed with removable screws," said Henry Gifford, an energy consultant in New York City. "Once the plaque is glued on, there's no incentive to do better."
The Federal Building in downtown Youngstown, Ohio has been cited as an example of the failure of the LEED certification, which is the country's most recognised seal for green and eco-friendly buildings. According to an assessment done last year of the building, its efficiency didn't even rank it high enough to qualify for an Energy Star label, an certification that is awarded simply by looking at annual utility bills. It emerged that the building's cooling system was a major contributor to its lack of energy-saving. A major gas consumer, the building relied on 'window dressing' such as landscaping rather than actually providing renewable and eco-friendly sources of power. Revelations such as these have led many industry experts to declare that a LEED seal should be withheld until a building proves itself energy efficient. Not just that, but energy-use data from every rated building should be made public. However, constantly revised guidelines are pushing these targets further and further from being achieved, leading to outrage from certain building owners.
LEED energy standards have grown more stringent over the years as the need for climate control increases. The Youngstown federal building, which was built in 2002, would not be certified under the current version of the program due to ever-changing standards. The LEED standard goes through periodic revisions, and this year, the minimum energy requirements needed for the basic LEED certification for new buildings were raised. Of the 121 new buildings certified in 2006, the Green Building Council found that more than half - 53 percent - did not qualify for the Energy Star label and 15 percent scored below 30 in that program, meaning they used more energy per square foot than at least 70 percent of comparable buildings in the existing national stock. Such complications have led the LEED to consider moving towards the E.P.A's Energy Star model, which attests to energy efficiency only for the year the label was given, similar to restaurant ratings. Scot Horst, an LEED executive said, "Ultimately, where we want to be is, once you're performing at a certain level, you continue to be re-certified." However, whether this will make landlords make a concerted effort to reduce power output remains to be seen.