Content about Energy in the United States

August 13, 2012
Sears to compete in Energy Star building competition

Sears Holdings said Friday it has again been selected to participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star National Building Competition: Battle of the Buildings.

For the third consecutive year, Sears will participate in the competition, this year entering 56 facilities that will compete against thousands of other teams representing buildings across the country. All efforts will be focused on eliminating waste through improvements in energy efficiency with help from EPA's Energy Star program.

August 1, 2012
Critics of LEED rules gain new allies

LEED v4, the proposed update to the nation’s most prevalent green building program, has been under intense pressure to change its current wood certification rating system, which only recognizes one set of standards, those of the Forest Stewardship Council. But the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which oversees the LEED program and its current revision process, is now under fire for another part of the LEED update that has nothing to do with wood.

June 25, 2012
USGBC points to growth for LEED homes

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) said its LEED for Homes program crossed the 20,000-home milestone.

More than 20,000 homes across the United States have earned certification through the national voluntary certification system that provides guidance and verification that homes are designed and built to be energy- and resource-efficient and healthy for occupants.

June 12, 2012
EPA, LG Electronics help families save energy

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched Team Energy Star to help engage and educate American youth and their families about saving energy in the home.

Team Energy Star is giving kids to tools to help protect the climate through easy-to-implement, money-saving actions -- with the help of Dr. Seuss’ the Lorax.

June 6, 2012
Vote on new LEED standards postponed

Saying it needs to address concerns raised by members, core LEED users and stakeholders, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced June 4 that it will delay balloting on LEED 2012 until June 1, 2013. (One caveat: The possibility also exists that the balloting could take place earlier in 2013 if USGBC members and the market indicate readiness for ballot, the announcement said.) Because of this date change, LEED 2012 is being renamed LEED v4.

In addition to the ballot date change, other actions include:

May 23, 2012
Congressmen weigh in on LEED standards

U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson has sent a letter to U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) president and CEO Rick Fedrizzi, urging changes to the treatment of forest products under the council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 2012 rating system. LEED is currently taking public comment as it revises its evaluation process and standards, which will be released in November of 2012.

May 15, 2012
LEED Volume program casts wide net

A new program by the U.S. Green Building Council may multiply the number of LEED-certified retail outlets, restaurants and hotels by making it easier for developers to get their projects pre-certified.

May 14, 2012
Building a definition of green, the story continues

There’s a lot riding on how the United States government defines green building. A review process has groups jockeying for position, according to an article in Federal Times.

Among the building material groups pressing for revisions to the LEED-centric status quo are the PVC pipe manufacturers and the lumber industry.

March 27, 2012
After 20 years, it’s easier to be green

In 1992, Energy Star was launched as the first national, market-driven energy efficiency partnership program of its kind. If EPA’s estimates are to be believed, the effort has worked wonders. According to the EPA, Energy Star has helped save Americans $23 billion on their energy bills while preventing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the annual emissions of 41 million vehicles.

March 8, 2012
Home Depot partners with U.S. Green Building Council

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), in conjunction with The Home Depot, has launched an online green home products database. The database is a special “microsite” within homedepot.com that features products geared toward green home building, many of which may contribute toward earning LEED points and prerequisites for the LEED for Homes program, making it easier for homeowners and builders to find the products they need, according to the joint press release.

March 7, 2012
LEED rules attacked by SFI as 'artificial'

SFI Inc., the non-profit organization that oversees the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) program, has issued a statement criticizing the third and latest draft of LEED 2012 for only issuing LEED points or credits for certified wood that is “FSC or better.”

SFI maintains that the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which administers the LEED program, continues to put up artificial barriers, shutting out 75% of North America’s forests that are certified by programs other than the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

January 20, 2012
D.C., Colorado top LEED list

Using a per-capita basis, the District of Columbia, Colorado and Illinois lead the nation in LEED-certified buildings, according to a report released by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The 2011 list of top 10 states for LEED-certified commercial and institutional green buildings was based on the U.S. 2010 census information.

December 14, 2011
USGBC announces new board directors

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced the new elected officers and directors to its 2012 board of directors. The USGBC’s membership elected the following to serve as directors:

November 8, 2011
Philadelphia looks ahead to 2013 green conference

An article on Philly.com reveals that Philadelphia will have plenty of environmentally friendly projects to show off for GreenBuild when it comes to town in 2013. 

GreenBuild is the annual conference of the U.S. Green Building Council, and it will enter its 12th year in 2013. The event will take place Nov. 20 to 22. 

November 1, 2011
Green Glue gets high marks for sustainability

An evaluation of the Green Glue Noiseproofing System found, among other things, that the system is indeed green.

Saint-Gobain recently commissioned Sustainable Solutions Corporation to undertake an evaluation of its Green Glue Noiseproofing System to understand how Green Glue could contribute to earning points in U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system.

Among the findings:

October 27, 2011
USGBC president elected chair of World Green Building Council

President, CEO and founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Rick Fedrizzi has been elected chair of the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC). The WorldGBC is a coalition of green building councils from 89 countries.

October 24, 2011
There's a new state champion for energy efficiency

Massachusetts has replaced California at the top of the Energy Scorecard Top 10, which measures the states' efforts to plan and implement efficient energy policies.

According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), which maintains and publishes the list, the six most improved states are Michigan, Illinois, Nebraska, Alabama, Maryland and Tennessee.

The Scorecard ranks the states based on metrics that capture best practices and recognize leadership in energy-efficiency policy and program implementation, according to the ACEEE.

October 13, 2011
KB Home puts “earth first,” receives LEED award

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has honored KB Home’s Primera Terra community with a 2011 LEED for Homes award. The LEED Platinum project, one of the largest in California, was recognized as the best in the Multi-Family category.

September 1, 2011
USGBC announces 10,000th LEED-certified building

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced a major milestone: The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) has certified the 10,000th LEED commercial project.

August 25, 2011
U.S. Green Building Council prevails in lawsuit

The U.S. District Court in New York City has dismissed a lawsuit brought against the U.S. Green Building Council that accused it of false advertising in connection to its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

August 22, 2011
The new face of energy efficiency

The Coalition for Energy Star Water Heaters has joined Facebook, in an effort described as a way to share current information about higher-efficiency water heating.

Contractors, plumbers and homeowners can now access the most up-to-date information about the national awareness and education campaign at facebook.com/ESWaterHeaters. 

May 18, 2011
KB Home introduces LEED Platinum Calif. community

Los Angeles-based KB Home has unveiled Primera Terra, one of the largest communities of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum-certified homes in California, according to the home builder. The 52 luxury condominium homes in Playa Vista are built with sustainable materials and are equipped with energy- and water-saving features.

April 15, 2011
Owens Corning HQ earns Gold LEED-EB status

Owens Corning’s Toledo, Ohio, global headquarters has earned gold certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Existing Building (EB) program -- it is the third existing building in Ohio to receive the designation.

The building first earned silver certification under the LEED-EB program in 2007 and has an Energy Star rating, which ranks it among the top 25% of energy-efficient buildings in the United States.

March 28, 2011
A.O. Smith earns green designation in Johnson City, Tenn.

A. O. Smith is promoting its water heater plant in Johnson City, Tenn., as the first company facility -- and one of the few facilities in Tennessee -- to earn Energy Star certification.

The 470,000-sq.-ft. Johnson City facility did not set out originally to obtain the Energy Star certification, according to Andy Demski, director of operations. Instead, it was looking at long-term initiatives to reduce the building’s energy and water consumption.

February 7, 2011
BASF responds to green-marketing confusion

Florham Park, N.J.-based BASF launched its SELECT Eco-Label Manager, a database created to manage the abundance of eco-labels, environmental claims, directories and ratings systems. 

SELECT is an acronym for sustainability, eco-labeling and environmental certification tracking. The service allows the user to search, analyze and compare these programs in a structured format.