Because most of our built environment was designed without factoring in these important considerations, the biggest opportunity to reduce carbon emissions is through reductions in existing-building energy consumption, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s latest report. For this and other environmental and economic reasons, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) offers a rating system dedicated entirely to the existing building market, LEED for Existing Building, Operations and Maintenance (LEED-EB O&M), which was created to promote performance-based and environmentally sound operations in the existing buildings arena. 

LEED-EB O&M is unique from all other rating systems in that it deals primarily with operations, maintenance, policies and procedures of an existing facility. In contrast, all other rating systems deal with the design and construction of a new or renovated structure. For example, LEED-EB O&M takes into account the purchasing of ongoing consumables like paper or desk accessories and green cleaning practices, while other forms of certification focus more on new-construction practices such as the types of building materials used, etc.

The federal government now fully supports the opportunity to lower energy consumption in existing buildings. As a result, block grants worth $3.2 billion were included in the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which passed earlier this year for state, local and tribal government energy-efficiency projects. While most entities are still working to determine what to do with this funding, many are hitting the ground running with very specific programs that incorporate energy audits, retro-commissioning or Continuous Commissioning® to lower utility bills in publically owned buildings. These initiatives are good examples of what should be pursued in all parts of our country and around the world. 

As awareness continues to grow around the global issue of sustainability, it’s important that we address the potential energy saving that must occur within our built environment. To learn more about the LEED-EB O&M rating system, visit the USBGC website at www.usgb.org.