Page 152 -

7: The Need for Standard IT Energy-Use Metrics 117

comes into contact with the project, which includes owners, designers, occu-
pants, and society as a whole.
These benefits do not come without a cost, however. Currently within the
industry, green buildings cost more to both design and construct when com-
pared to conventional buildings. These increased costs typically represent
initial upfront costs, which are incurred at the start of the project. However,
these initial cost increases can be minimized by the economic gains associ-
ated with constructing a LEED-certified green building. These economic
gains can take the form of anything from productivity gains to decreased life-
cycle operating costs. Studies have suggested that an initial up front invest-
ment of 2 percent can yield more than ten times the initial investment over
the life cycle of the building. From this perspective, there is no initial cost. In
fact, the initial cost is actually an investment.
Although the deployment of the LEED Standard has raised awareness of
green building practices, its scoring system is skewed toward the ongoing
use of fossil fuels. More than half of the available points in the standard sup-
port efficient use of fossil fuels, whereas only a handful are awarded for the
use of sustainable energy sources. Further, the USGBC has stated support for
ptg
the 2030 Challenge, an effort that has set a goal of efficient fossil fuel use by
2030. Despite its broad acceptance, mounting scientific evidence suggests
that a more aggressive program of sustainable energy deployment is required
to protect the climate than that promoted by the LEED Standard and the
USGBC.

Certification

Different LEED versions have varied scoring systems based on a set of
required prerequisites and a variety of credits in the six major categories pre-
viously listed. In LEED v2.2, for new construction and major renovations for
commercial buildings, there are 69 possible points, and buildings can qualify
for four levels of certification:

■ Certified: 26–32 points
■ Silver: 33 –38 points
■ Gold: 39–51 points
■ Platinum: 52–69 points

LEED certification is obtained after submitting an application document-
ing compliance with the requirements of the rating system, as well as paying