Task 05-07. Evaluation of LEEDTM Certification Program for Buildings -- A Case Study

Objective

The popularity of green building design is increasing as state and local governments, as well as the private sector want to demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program (LEED™) was launched in 1999 by the U.S. Green Buildings Council (USGBC) as an accreditation program for buildings achieving a minimum number of “credits.” It has stimulated green building market transformation by establishing minimum performance levels, creating a common design and construction framework, and facilitating measurement of sustainable building performance across all jurisdictions using the system. The “credits” can be earned in the areas of sustainable site planning, energy efficiency, water efficiency, and indoor environmental quality. In general, the benefits of green building construction/operation have only been presumed. There has been no rigorous examination of the direct or indirect benefits of green building or the LEED™ certification program. An independent examination of the benefits of green building practices and the LEED™ program will validate the purported benefits and improve the marketability of green construction programs. This case study is a first step toward achieving those goals.

ERC will work with the local chapter of the USGBC to identify reference building candidates for the case study. An ideal case study would include two identical or nearly identical buildings where one of the two buildings has been LEED™ certified. Most important is to use reference buildings of comparable size, age and population demographics (e.g. office). Regardless of the building characteristics, the LEED™ building system will be evaluated by comparing two sets of data: direct empirical data and building simulation modeling data. Principally, real time monitoring will be used to monitor energy usage for both buildings, allowing validation of direct energy conservation impacts of LEED™ buildings. If possible, one year of data will be collected in both buildings. Building simulation software will be used to normalize the effects of building orientation, population, schedules, etc. on building energy use, as well as how modeling can play a role in normalizing building conditions when comparing green and standard construction practices.

Major Sub-awardees

This project is being executed by the Energy Resources Center (ERC) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). The Principal Investigator is Michael Chimack.
This project will be initiated January 1, 2006 and is scheduled to be completed in 15 months.