The LEED® green building certification program is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for buildings designed, constructed and operated for improved environmental and human health performance. LEED addresses all Even in the worst construction downturn since the Great Depression, green building is making astronomical gains. building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection,and indoor environmental quality. USGBC Re-launches Web Portal.If you weren't able to attend USGBC's annual Greenbuild Conference & Expo, you can now access many of its presentations at the newly re-launched Greenbuild365 website (www.greenbuild365.org). Some highlights of the website include a catalog of third-party-reviewed green building courses, both core LEED offerings and others that extend beyond the LEED certification program; and Green Bytes - short videos, podcasts and articles on education case studies, best practices and green building information.

The Fed. Government is offering NOW $2.25/sf. TAX CREDIT for using energy efficient equipment and achieving at least a 50% savings from established performance guidelines. Look into USGBC website for current issues and answers here. Look to develop a spec that will tightly wrap the exterior of the building, as you are able. A serious R-value in the walls and roof will be a huge benefit to get you moving toward a +50% energy savings.  A rigid insulation technology will be your best bet to handle this portion of the box as you tear it down and put it back together. The energy savings in this strategy is very dramatic with 50-70% savings out there IF you coordinate a team approach and cover ALL the aspects tied to an energy efficient building plan; windows/doors, hvac, electrical, building envelope.

Green Brings More Green in Real Estate A new report by the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate at the University of San Diego shows that not only are more developers building environmentally friendly buildings, but that tenants are willing to pay more to rent them. The study, titled simply Does Green Pay Off?, reports that customers are willing to pay an average of $2.45 per square foot extra for renting, or an average of $15 per square foot extra for buying a LEED certified green office building. The study also found that lower energy bills offset the higher rentals and purchase prices. According to the report, Los Angeles is the leading metro area of green building in the US as of the second quarter of 2007 with 100 buildings totaling over 26 million square feet. San Francisco came in number five, with 30 buildings totaling almost 12 million square feet.