LEED Program Being Revised

WASHINGTON, DC - Anational green-building program is being revised to put more emphasis on using energy wisely and fighting climate change. The changes are being made in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, or LEED. It is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, a Washington-based nonprofit group. The LEED program, which builders and property owners enter into voluntarily, certifies that a building is constructed in ways that help the environment - by saving energy, for example.

Changes in the portion of the program that applies to commercial buildings, such as stores, offices hotels and schools, will be effective in late April, said Taryn Holowka, a spokeswoman for the building council. This is the first major revision in the program since 2000.

Among other changes, the online process of getting LEED certification will be streamlined. "We want to be more user-friendly, but we still want to maintain the rigor of LEED," Holowka said.

Under the program, a builder gets points for incorporating environmentally friendly features into a project. The more points, the higher the level of approval the project gets.

The new system will award more points for such measures as using solar energy or building near a city center or mass transit. Those changes help reduce energy use, address climate change and combat suburban sprawl, Holowka said.

Megan Miller, executive director of the James River Green Building Council, a chapter of the national organization, said she did not know if the changes would spur more green building locally. But she said interest has been growing in recent years.

Among other reasons, a green building, while costing more upfront, can save the owner money in energy costs over time, Miller said. And the owner of a business in a green building may draw environmentally conscious customers. "I think it gives you an edge," she said.

There are six LEED-certified buildings in the Richmond area. More than 40 more local buildings are in the process of getting certified, including Virginia Commonwealth University's $2.6 million research and education building at the school's Rice Center in Charles City County.

That building's features include solar electric power and geothermal heating and cooling. The geothermal process involves using underground temperatures to offset hot or cold temperatures in the building.

Blue Crump, owner of Cityspace, a Richmond business specializing in green building, thinks the LEED program's changes are a good idea.

"They are going to result in a reduction in energy consumption, which is going to result in a reduction in global warming and greenhouse gases," Crump said.