LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – from the U.S. Green Building Council is the king of environmental-quality ratings, but there are others, and they claim their own benefits.
Energy Star is widely known as a rating for appliances, but it also has building category for construction that is in the top 25% nationally for energy conservation among structures like it.
The National Green Building Standard is a product of collaboration among a number of professional organizations. It applies to both new construction and remodeling and has a stamp of approval from the American National Standards Institute. There also are Green Globes from the Green Building Initiative, certification from the Society of Environmentally Responsible Facilities, and the GreenPoint Rated system in California.
From the report:
The green stamp of approval—practically everybody wants it in one form or another. In the multifamily sector, with builders catering to residents’ growing demand for green features and municipalities stepping up requirements, property rating systems have become increasingly important to the industry. ...
