Rapidly Evolving Rating System Draws Applause and Criticism
In the five years since its launch, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design has become widely accepted as the standard of greenness for buildings. This acceptance has come despite complaints from users that the rating system, known as LEED, it is not always an accurate indication of sustainability. Its popularity continues to grow even though little is known about how buildings certified under the still young system perform over the long run. Click here to view chart
One of the few efforts to quantify the performance of LEED buildings is under way at the Center for the Built Environment at the University of California, Berkeley. It hopes to use its indoor environmental quality survey to compare the performance of LEED and non-rated buildings. As of November 2004, the center had collected a database of responses from 25,000 occupants of 150 buildings to questions on such topics as thermal comfort, indoor air quality and lighting. Only six of these buildings were LEED rated.