So how much are those energy-efficient upgrades you paid extra to install on your commercial building really worth? Sure, they lower your monthly operating costs, but will “the market” ever recognize these savings and factor them into the value of your building? And what about the fact that your ahead-of-its-time building is more likely to… Continue Reading
Category Archives: LEED
Subscribe to LEED RSS FeedThe City of Seattle is a Microcosm of Why You Should and Why You May Not Build a LEED Building
Posted in Energy Conservation, Green Building, LEED, LegislationIn 2000 the City of Seattle became the first city in the country to require that all city buildings over 5,000 square feet achieve LEED silver rating. The City’s goal in doing that was to spur development of LEED buildings by demonstrating their value and increasing the familiarity of the local design professions and contractors… Continue Reading
October 1 Deadline for Seattle Building Owners to Complete Energy Benchmarking Reports
Posted in Energy Conservation, Green Building, LEED, LegislationThe City of Seattle has set a goal of reducing energy use by 20 percent over 2005 levels by 2020. To do that, it has to make major improvements in the half of all energy use which occurs in buildings. The City’s energy code for new buildings is state of the art. But that alone… Continue Reading
Building Green with Net-Zero Energy Technologies
Posted in Green Building, LEED, TechnologyBy Cynthia Kennedy This spring, we reported on two buildings under construction in the Seattle area that are designed to use net-zero energy. The engineering team for the new commercial net-zero energy building, the Cascadia Center for Sustainable Design and Construction, recently released a report describing how they plan to accomplish this feat. The six-story… Continue Reading
Net Zero Energy Buildings Becoming a Reality
Posted in Green Building, LEED, Renewable EnergyBy Cynthia Kennedy As previously reported, local property owners and developers are taking up the “2030 Challenge” to reduce energy use, carbon emissions and water use in new and remodeled buildings. Local governments are also reviewing energy and building codes with those goals in mind. At the same time, recent LEED forums have been abuzz about… Continue Reading
A Delicious Idea for Green Roofs
Posted in Green Building, LEEDBy Cynthia Kennedy The LEED rating system promotes green building and sustainable development techniques. One such technique encouraged by the LEED system is installing a “green roof.” Green roofs replace traditional heat-absorbing roofing materials with plant materials. Vegetated green roofs can reduce energy consumption by providing insulation benefits for the building and helping to reduce… Continue Reading
New Incentives Proposed for Building Green in Seattle’s Multifamily Lowrise Zone
Posted in Green Building, LEEDBy Cynthia Kennedy The City of Seattle continues to emphasize sustainable development by incorporating LEED ratings and other green building practices in its Zoning Code. Last week the City released a public review draft of its proposed amendments to the Multifamily Lowrise Zoning, which includes new incentives for building green. Under the proposed amendments, lowrise… Continue Reading
Comments Sought on Model International Green Construction Code
Posted in Green Building, LEEDBy Cynthia Kennedy Some jurisdictions, including the City of Seattle, have begun to reference LEED or other green building rating systems in their local codes, to promote sustainable construction and high-performance buildings. The new model International Green Construction Code that is currently under consideration by industry organizations may encourage more jurisdictions to codify green building… Continue Reading
LEED Certification Can Lead to Expedited Permit Processing
Posted in Green Building, LEEDBy Cynthia Kennedy Pursuing LEED certification can yield a variety of efficiencies for sustainable development projects, including: energy, water and recycling efficiencies to name just a few. Increasingly, LEED certification can also yield permitting efficiencies. King County and the City of Seattle are among jurisdictions seeking to promote sustainable development by expediting permit processing for… Continue Reading
The 2009 Solar Decathalon
Posted in Green Building, LEED, Renewable EnergyFor the past three weeks or so, the national mall in Washington, D.C. has been a construction site, with twenty solar-powered homes having been constructed there to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. The Solar Decathlon is a competition intended challenge teams to design, build and operate an energy-efficient and completely solar-powered… Continue Reading
LEED for Neighborhood Development
Posted in Green Building, LEED, RegulatoryAlong with the continuing evolution of other LEED rating systems and certifications, the USGBC, in collaboration with the Congress for New Urbanism (“CNU”) and the National Resources Defense Council (“NRDC”), will soon launch the LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) Rating System. This certification is intended to provide verification that a development’s location and design meets… Continue Reading
Urban Wood Waste Cuts Seattle Steam’s Fossil Fuel Carbon Emissions in Half
Posted in Alternative Fuels, LEED, Renewable EnergySeattle Steam Company was founded in 1893. It has 18 miles of steam pipes running under the streets of downtown Seattle, which it uses to distribute steam to approximately 200 downtown buildings, and the First Hill neighborhoods. That steam heats the buildings, sterilizes hospital instruments, and creates the hot water to wash mountains of hotel… Continue Reading
Recent Energy Efficiency News
Posted in Green Building, LEED, Renewable EnergyThere were several articles published in the past week or so by CoStar Group that I thought were of particular interest, and wanted to pass them along. First, and relating to the summary of the provisions of the cap-and-trade energy bill for the construction of new commercial buildings that was posted on August 6th, this… Continue Reading
More on the Cap-and-Trade Energy Bill: Greater Energy Efficiency in Building Codes
Posted in Green Building, LEED, LegislationElaine Spencer’s August 3rd post below, which discusses the cap-and-trade energy bill recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, mentions that a portion of the bill is devoted to implementing technology changes that will reduce energy usage and carbon emissions. One of the ways that the bill seeks to do this is to establish… Continue Reading
Green Leases– An Overview of Sustainability Concepts
Posted in Green Building, LEEDBy Maren K. Gaylor What is a green lease? Green leases have been described a number of ways. Put simply, a green lease is a legal tool designed to help a building owner, manager and its tenants maintain and operate a more sustainable building. It can be any lease to which some agreed upon sustainability… Continue Reading