LEED program moves to fix energy gap

The New York Times is reporting on an issue well-known to many in the energy efficiency business: LEED certification by itself does not an energy-efficient building make. In fact, of 121 buildings studied by the LEED-sponsoring U.S. Green Building Council last year, 53 percent of them failed to meet the requirements for the commercial building Energy Star label and 15 percent of them scored below 30 in the Energy Star system, meaning they consumed more energy per square foot than 70 percent of all comparable buildings nationwide.

So, USGBC will begin to collect energy consumption data on buildings it certifies, perhaps with an eye toward modifying the LEED program to require a level of energy performance each year to earn the right to continue to fly the coveted LEED flag over the building’s marketing materials.

Tags: Energy Star, LEED