Green Building

Green building is the practice of creating buildings that have reduced impacts on human health and the natural environment during the building's life cycle. Green building encompasses the design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and demolition of buildings.

Green buildings are designed to minimize the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by:

CALIFORNIA GREEN BUILDING CODE

Title 24, Part 6, of the California Code of Regulations, The Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential and Nonresidential Buildings (“Title 24” or “The Code”) were established in 1978 in response to a legislative mandate to reduce California's energy consumption. Title 24 is composed of 12 sections and governs all new construction of buildings in California. The Code is determined by the California Energy Commission (“CEC”) and managed by Building Standards Commission.

The CEC periodically updates the standards to incorporate the latest energy efficiency technologies and methods and better meet new legislative climate protection mandates, initiatives, and goals. The most current 2008 version of the code will be in effect as of August 1, 2009. While it is premature to predict the energy efficiency effects of the new version, a first analysis showed it to require 21% more efficiency than ASHRAE 90.1-2004, the current minimum requirements for the energy efficiency design of buildings.

Title 24 requirements have saved more than $20 billion in electricity and natural gas costs since it was implemented and it is estimated that the updated standards will save an additional $23 billion by 2013. Although the aggregate savings from Title 24 are great, compliance with Title 24 should only be considered as adhering to the minimum standards allowable by law because it is possible to achieve much greater standards of efficiency.

GREEN BUILDING RATING SYSTEMS

The two major green building rating systems are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ("LEED") Green Building Rating Program, managed by the US Green Building Counsel ("USGBC") and GreenPoint Rated, a program of Build it Green.

While both programs are relatively similar, there is a substantial difference: GreenPoint Rated is a California based program focused specifically on the California market and LEED is a much larger national program that focuses on creating universal standards to be used both nationally and globally.

USGBC, LEED

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System was established in 1998 by the United States Green Building Council to provide a sustainable, “green” standard for the construction and remodeling of buildings. To date, there have been 14,000 projects located in all 50 states and throughout 41 countries. Currently, the USGBC offers certification for eight different project types and buildings can earn various levels of LEED certification -- Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. To gain certification, a building must be rated by a LEED Accredited Professional.

To achieve LEED certification, points are earned for meeting various criteria surrounding sustainable site location, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental air quality, and innovation and design process. Because points are awarded in comprehensive categories, the whole project team must cohesively work together to achieve a level of LEED certification.

Various federal, state and local governments and agencies are adopting the use of the LEED standards for public buildings in the United States, while a variety of LEED projects are underway in 41 different countries.

Build it Green, Green Point Rated

The GreenPoint Rated program, designed and managed by Build It Green, is a green building certification program for California buildings. Build It Green, a non-profit organization, was established in 2003 to encourage health and energy, water, resources efficient buildings. There are two project types -- Green Pointed Rated New Home and Green Point Rated Existing Home. When a building is GreenPoint Rated, it earns points in five categories: resource conservation, indoor air quality, water conservation, community, and energy efficiency. If a building project earns the minimum of 50 points and achieves the category-specific point minimums, it gains the GreenPoint Rated label. If a building’s point total surpasses the minimum of 50 points, it is awarded a higher grade. Buildings are rated by Certified GreenPoint Raters, independent raters who have been trained and certified by Build It Green.