Multi Housing News August 2012 : Page 38
green beat LEED and Beyond Other green rating systems are no less important By Barbra Murray, Contributing Editor T he green stamp of approval—practi-cally everybody wants it in one form or another. In the multifamily sec-tor, with builders catering to residents’ growing demand for green features and municipalities stepping up requirements, property rating systems have become in-creasingly important to the industry. While certain labels are more recognizable than others, certifi cation options abound. Offi cial sustainable development certi-fi cation by any name centers on a basic premise: do no harm—to the environment. From minimizing waste or repurposing wood in the construction process to in-stalling energy-effi cient appliances and lighting in the residential units, multifam-ily property certifi cation can be achieved through a variety of means, all with the goal of diminishing emissions, decreas-ing energy consumption and conserving water. Criteria for green certifi cation dif-fer from rating system to rating system, of which there are plenty. The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Envi-ronmental Design program is undeniably the big kid on the block. The LEED rating system made its debut in 2000 and certifi es an average 1.6 million square feet of new and existing commercial and residential properties per day. To date, 13,823 units in 760 multifamily buildings are certifi ed under the LEED for Homes program. LEED, from basic Certifi ed to mid-level Silver to top-level Platinum, continues to pervade the sustainable development ver-nacular nationally and internationally, but it’s hardly the only game in town. Some alternatives are right under one’s nose, lit-erally, if in the kitchen. It’s a rare appliance retailer that does not sell products sporting the Energy Star label, but the rating system, founded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agen-cy, applies to more than just an oven or refrigerator. Properties can earn an En-ergy Star which, in the case of bricks and mortar, symbolizes that a building’s en-ergy performance is superior to at least 75 percent of similar buildings across the country. The energy-effi cient properties, rated on a scale of 1 to 100—with 75 be-ing the minimum requirement for certifi ca-tion, cost less to operate and emit fewer greenhouse gas emissions. As is true of LEED certifi cation, Energy Star embraces all types of multifamily properties—ev-erything from affordable housing to con-dominiums and beyond. It may not be in the form of an adhesive tag on the front door, but presently, you can look for the Energy Star label on 4.4 million square feet of senior-living facilities and 103 stu-dent housing properties encompassing an aggregate 8 million square feet. The num-bers grow every day. Prominent trade associations have also established well-respected rating sys-tems. The National Green Building Stan-dard (ICC 700) is the fi rst and only con-sensus-based green building standard for residential properties, and the National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) was instru-mental in having it expanded to include apartments and the residential portions
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