Henry Gifford, an energy-efficient building expert in NYC, challenges the LEED certification standards in an acrimonious lawsuit against the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
The claim made by the National Buildings Institute that "LEED buildings are 25 to 30 percent more energy efficient than non-LEED buildings" is misleading, argues Gifford.
Ben Ikenson reports:
"Using the study's data but not its analysis, Gifford released his own report, claiming that when interpreted accurately, the data show LEED-rated buildings actually use 29 percent more energy."
"The Green Building Council has been addressing some of these criticisms since before Gifford's suit. Since 2009, it has required all certified buildings to provide performance data to track predicted savings against actual savings."
FULL STORY: Is LEED the Gold Standard in Green?
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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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