The future of green building regulations usually starts in big cities. Cities like San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and New York City were some of the first to incorporate green building certification into regulations and building codes. The next frontier in green building regulations will be energy performance and New York City seems to be at the forefront. The New York Times recently reported this anecdote about future New York City green building policy:
The New York City Council is drafting a law that will dispatch auditors to measure large buildings’ energy use, with potential fines for landlords who fail to retrofit their systems.
There are other examples of regulations focused on energy efficiency:
- In Washington, D.C., the Energy Star Benchmarking program requires the reporting of energy data by owners of buildings.
- At the federal level, the Department of Energy has its sights set on creating an energy labeling system for buildings and homes.
The United States Green Building Council is also modifying its LEED rating system to reduce actual energy usage. With the launch of LEED 2009, the USGBC now requires the reporting of energy data. As we reported in September, Scot Horst, USGBC executive, has stated that the LEED certification will eventually require buildings to achieve a specified level of energy performance.
The eyes of the green building industry are focused on energy efficiency. You should be too.
Related Links:
In Washington, DC, Energy Star Benchmarking Law Arrives (CoStar Group)
The Future of LEED: Re-certification (GBLU)
