All new LEED registered projects will be using the LEED v3 checklist. One of the big changes with version three of the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design certification program is the requirement for buildings to report actual performance data.

 

When a building is LEED certified, it is based off of predicted performance. For example, a new construction project with a projected 30% reduction in water use will earn two points on the LEED-NC checklist. However, there have been no measures in place to ensure that this 30% reduction is actually realized.

 

LEED v3 addresses this and mandates that building owners provide ongoing performance data in order to maintain their certifications. To help manage this requirement, the USGBC has launched the Building Performance Initiative. The initiative will allow the USGBC to obtain feedback on the data collection and analysis program from green builders across the country.

 

“This initiative is about gathering knowledge about building performance in a way no one has ever done before,” said USGBC LEED Senior Vice President, Scot Horst. “The information that we collect from our certified projects is a workable, holistic approach for achieving better performing buildings.” Source: USGBC (PDF)

 

Four different Building Performance Initiative summits will be conducted in September and October. The results from the meetings will be presented at the First Annual Building Performance Summit at Greenbuild in November.

 

For years, green building challengers have stated that the building’s performance data should be measured to determine how well the design lives up to real-world use. These challengers now have an opportunity to provide feedback to the USGBC on how best to obtain and analyze this data.