LEED CoreConcepts&Strategies_3rd edition - Page 071
Extracted Content
ENERGY AND ATMOSPHERE
Energy has emerged as a critical economic issue and top priority for policymakers.
Unsustainable energy supply and demand have serious implications for everything
from household budgets to international relations. Buildings are on the front line
of this issue because of their high consumption of energy. Studies have repeatedly
shown that efficient buildings and appropriate land use offer opportunities to save
money while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. One such study, conducted by the
New Buildings Institute, investigated 121 LEED-certified commercial office buildings
in the United States and found that they used 24% less energy than the national
average. Almost half of the buildings in the study achieved an ENERGY STAR
Portfolio Manager score of 75 or above, with an overall average score of 68. [24]
Set up by EPA as a part of the ENERGY STAR program, ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is an interactive, online management tool that supports tracking and assessment of energy and water consumption. In Portfolio Manager, a score of 50 represents average building performance. The New Buildings Institute study also collected data suggesting that a significant percentage of buildings underperformed their benchmarks. This finding reinforces the importance of commissioning systems and monitoring performance so that green buildings can maintain their efficiencies and achieve their full potential over time.
The proper design and operations of buildings and neighborhoods can dramatically boost energy efficiency and benefits from cleaner, renewable energy supplies.
FOLLOWING AN INTEGRATIVE PROCESS HELPS IDENTIFY SYNERGISTIC STRATEGIES FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
•• Energy demand
•• Energy efficiency
•• Renewable energy
•• Ongoing performance
24 C. Turner and M. Frankel, Energy Performance of LEED for New Construction Buildings (March 4, 2008), newbuildings.org/sites/default/files/Energy_Performance_of_LEED-NC_Buildings-Final_3-4-08b.pdf.
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