INDUSTRY - New LEED standards mean reduced project times and enhanced energy reporting from users.

The way Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green buildings are certified will change next spring, which will shorten project time, says Raleigh LEED Fellow Douglas Brinkley of Clark Nexsen.

The updated energy efficiency prerequisites, version four, will be called LEED v4, according to Greentech Media.

“With any new version of the LEED rating system, an educational time factor needs to be included for the LEED user to come up to speed with the new requirements,” Brinkley says. “The LEED process should be quicker given all the new time saving tools and resources, including direct telephone access to a dedicated LEED reviewer.”

Each building will need to measure its energy and wateruse, and share the data with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which will make sure buildings are operating to the best of their ability, says Brendan Owens, vice president of LEED technical development. The prerequisite also requires a permanent metering system that records intervals of one hour or less, and transmits the data to a remote location.

Buildings will need fully automated demand response systems in place to reduce energy during peak hours, instead of just semi-automated systems.

“All of these requirements are about ensuring that LEED buildings are operating as well as they are capable of, and that they stay optimized and efficient over the long term,” Owens says.

Source: Triangle Business Journal