LEED 2009: Rating System Is Shifting its Focus to Energy and Carbon for Commercial Buildings
Members of the U.S. Green Building Council are voting on whether to approve LEED 2009, the latest evolution of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building certification system. The update includes a series of technical changes focused on improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.
November 06, 2008
LEED 2009 represents important changes to the existing LEED rating systems for commercial buildings.
Brendan Owens, USGBC VP of LEED Technical Development, said LEED 2009 will be more flexible and adaptive.
"Integral to our mission is the process of continuous improvement within LEED so it can continue to reset the bar, as new information, technologies and processes become available," Owens said.
The green-building rating system has undergone a re-weighting of credits, changing allocation of points to reflect climate change and energy efficiency as urgent priorities. LEED has been criticized for allocating relatively few points to energy efficiency and renewable energy.
LEED 2009 also will incorporate regional credits, extra points that have been identified as priorities within a project’s given environmental zone.Vendors of green-building products will be interested in changes related to how new technical advancements are incorporated into LEED. Process changes will be introduced alongside LEED 2009, including a “pilot process” for individual credits that will allow major new technical developments to be flexibly trialed, evaluated, and incorporated into LEED.
Member approval is the final stage of the process used to develop, test, evaluate, revise and publish all LEED rating systems. Member balloting opened on October 14 and will close November 14, 2008.
The USGBC's annual convention, Greenbuild, will take place the following week in Boston.
Comments
I am currently working on a LEED project and there are zero required points under the E&A section, so you can attain LEED certififcation without addressing "energy". Your story reflects commercial applications only, but LEED AP for new construction 2.2 highlights both commercial and residential. Do you know if this will be changing for residential applications as well?
Posted by: Kimberly Lancaster | November 6, 2008 01:40 PM
I was recently at a LEEDs Certified building. What puzzled me was the fact that it was only accessible by car. This new building was out in the suburbs of Toronto.
Shouldn't buildings lose points for forcing people to use their car to access them?
Posted by: sasha | November 8, 2008 11:06 AM
Interesting questions. Kimberly, all USGBC is saying now is that the LEED 2009 changes would affect commercial buildings.
Sasha, perhaps it's the city that should lose points for not providing more transit options. If a "LEED for cities" rating system becomes a reality, should it have mandatory points for public transportation? I think so.
Posted by: Denis Du Bois | November 9, 2008 02:41 PM