Page 227 - Alternative Energy Systems in Building Design

LEED—LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN 203

LEED—Leadership in Energy

and Environmental Design

ENERGY USE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Ever since the creation of tools, the formation of settlements, and the advent of pro-
gressive development technologies, humankind has consistently harvested the abun-
dance of energy that has been accessible in various forms. Until the eighteenth-century
industrial revolution, energy forms used by humans were limited to river or stream
water currents, tides, solar, wind, and to a very small degree, geothermal energy, none
of which had an adverse effect on the environment.
On discovery and harvesting of steam power and the development of steam-driven
engines, humankind resorted to the use of fossil fuels and commenced the unnatural
creation of air, soil, water, and atmospheric pollutants with increasing acceleration to
a degree that fears about the sustenance of life on our planet under the prevailing pollu-
tion and waste-management control has come into focus.
Since global material production is made possible by the use of electric power gen-
erated from the conversion of fossil fuels, continued growth of the human population
and the inevitable demand for materials within the next couple of centuries, if not miti-
gated, will tax global resources and this planet’s capacity to sustain life as we know it.
To appreciate the extent of energy use in human-made material production, we simply
must observe that every object used in our lives, from a simple nail to a supercomputer,
is made using pollutant energy resources. The conversion of raw materials to finished
products usually involves a large number of energy-consuming processes, but products
made using recycled materials, such as wood, plastics, water, paper, and metals, require
fewer process steps and therefore less pollutant energy.
In order to mitigate energy waste and promote energy conservation, the U.S. Depart-
ment of Energy, Office of Building Technology, founded the U.S. Green Building
Council. The council was authorized to develop design standards that provide for
improved environmental and economic performance in commercial buildings by the
use of established or advanced industry standards, principles, practices, and materials.
It should be noted that the United States, with 5 percent of the world population,
presently consumes 25 percent of the global energy resources.
The U.S. Green Building Council introduced the Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) rating system and checklist. This system estab-
lishes qualification and rating standards that categorize construction projects with
certified designations such as silver, gold, and platinum. Depending on adherence
to the number of points specified in the project checklist, a project may be bestowed
recognition and potentially a set amount of financial contribution by state and fed-
eral agencies.
In essence, the LEED guidelines discussed in this chapter, in addition to providing
design guidelines for energy conservation, are intended to safeguard the ecology and