WASHINGTON, DC — Recognizing that the 4.5 million existing buildings in the United States can achieve a 20% to 30% reduction in energy use, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) here, together with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE), have jointly announced a partnership between LEED™ and Energy Star® to help ease the country’s energy crunch.
The USGBC is introducing LEED for existing buildings. LEED, which stands for leadership in energy and environmental design, is the council’s sustainable building rating system for certifying green design and construction in new buildings, which has already been adopted by a number of private and public concerns for new construction projects. During the past year, the USGBC has been developing green building standards for existing-building upgrades and operations.