When you hear the topic of green certification for buildings, LEED is typically one the first things to come to mind. But the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is not the only legitimate option. The City of San Francisco recently began recording sustainability labels of buildings in their official land records. Other Green Labels being recorded by the Assessor’s office include: Build It Green’s Green Point Rated, California Energy Commission’s Home Energy Rating System II (HERS II), US Dept of Energy’s Home Energy Score (pilot program in progress) and EPA’s EnergyStar (multi family standard under development). In addition to those choices that were recently officially endorsed, there are also emerging standards from NAHB (ICC 700 National Green Building Standard) and the Green Building Initiative (Green Globes). Still others choose pursue green credentials through the ISO 14001 standard to establish an environmental management system.
In light of the growing dissatisfaction with the LEED standard , you may want to consider an option for your buildings.
For more info, see:
Green labels boosting property values
National Green Building Standard’s multi family certification program