There has been an explosion of interest in going green. Everything from cars to light bulbs are being pushed to new levels of efficiency. New industries are cropping up, it seems, on a daily basis.
But what about buildings; office buildings and schools in particular. These are the places that we spend most of our waking hours, and where we consume most of the energy.
There is a movement, led by the US Green Building Council, to establish standards to which buildings are designed and constructed by. Affecting more than just the energy consumption, but also the environment of the occupants inside. Buildings are certified, showing that it has met the requirements for a particular level of efficiency.
Not only do buildings get certified, but individuals also become accredited. There are thousands of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professionals in the United States, all of whom had to pass a fairly difficult test covering the details of the “LEED” program. These “APs” act as a guide to design a building for the specific purpose of attaining high levels of efficiency.
Just as hybrid cars are more expensive than their normal, gas powered counterparts, buildings achieving, or attempting to achieve any level of certification will have an increased cost. The cost, if calculated properly, should be offset by the reduction in energy usage, and the increase in productivity of the occupants of the building. And the payback of the additional cost could come in 5 years.
A recent study released from the venture capital firm Good Energies, Inc states that around 50% of non-residential building will be green by 2015. That is five years from now. It must also be noted that these numbers also include buildings that did not obtain LEED certification, but did adhere to the guidelines. This should be recognized as tremendous growth.
Based on the ever increasing number of buildings being submitted for certification and the growing population of accredited professionals, it looks as though green building has only barely gotten started.
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