The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) will be changing the process for green building certification in January 2009. Certification through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program has become extremely popular since its inception in the year 2000, with over 1,500 building having received certification and 11,000 more applying for it.
LEED awards points toward three levels of rankings – silver, gold, or platinum – by examining five key areas in a building’s design: sustainable development on the site, savings in water use, energy efficient lighting and temperature control systems, use of recycled or environmentally friendly materials, and quality of indoor air.
There have been growing complaints, however, that the application process is awkward and illogical, with small items like a bicycle rack and large expensive features such as an HVAC system receiving the same number of points toward certification. This is what the USGBC seeks to change.
The USGBC asked for public comment earlier this summer in a 30 day online forum that ended on June 22nd. The resulting new version, called LEED 2009, will revamp the rating system, streamlining it into one system and allocating points differently. The new system will be more flexible, more able to adapt to a continuously evolving industry as newer and better techniques and materials are developed, as well as accounting for different regions of the country.
The USGBC feels this new process will not only encourage builders and developers to incorporate environmentally friendly practices and materials into their construction, but will encourage innovation and make it easier for builders to seek LEED certification.
