LEED 3.0 has its doubters
Some research states that the new energy improvement plan by the U.S. Green Building Council may not be a true indicator of a building's efficiency.
SOURCE: Ann Arbor Business Review -- Consulting-Specifying Engineer, 6/12/2009 10:38:02 AM
Stricter standards on energy reduction, a requirement to keep track of how much energy a building actually uses, and a backup plan to improve energy savings if needed are three of the changes that will go into effect June 27 under a new version of U.S. Green Building Council's LEED.
The version, LEED 3.0, has met some opposition from researchers who say that the program doesn't produce adequate results in reducing energy use in buildings.
Findings by the Chicago-based Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) say that there was no connection between the LEED ranking on 25 certified buildings and actual energy savings. Energy and atmosphere, also known as EA credits, were more accurate in determining true energy savings, the CNT stated.
The USGBC plan will require building operators to record energy usage, report it to the council, and have a plan in place to improve energy savings if needed. Other guidelines in LEED 3.0 include tightening the energy savings requirements to 10% over ASHRAE 2007 for new buildings, and 5% for renovations.
