The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) will implement major upgrades to LEED certification standards in 2012 after critics companied that the requirements weren't expansive enough to result in an overall green facility. Critics also stress the need for verifying methods to determined whether a completed building is actually performing as planned.

Since the inception of LEED, standards have been raised several times as the market matured and could absorb more advanced standards. Now, experts stress that it is time for another upgrade. 



According to reports from SustainableBusiness.com, the originators of LEED always had the vision of creating fully functioning green buildings, not just a list of features to check off. But in the early days, the USGBC designed a point system to entice architects and builders to use the system. At the time, they knew little about green features and how to use them and weren't so sure they cared.

The market has matured to the point where major cities such as New York and San Francisco mandate energy retrofits of older buildings, and they have to meet LEED standards. Dozens of cities and about a hundred towns mandate that new buildings be LEED-certified. There are many thousands of LEED-accredited professionals.



The USGBC says its LEED 2012 rating system, set to launch in November, will contain new important features. 

To make sure buildings function as intended and improve over time:
• Building owners will be required to report data on the building's energy and water use, using real-time reporting technology; 
• Owners of LEED-certified buildings will have to apply for re-certification every five years.

Another criticism is that data on how buildings perform isn't available. To improve the transparency of its data, USGBC is  inviting software developers to design applications to make comparison of energy saving technologies easier for building owners. The Green Building Information Gateway allows owners to compare their buildings' data with those of similar buildings.

Over 30 companies are developing tools to help building owners track and improve energy performance. 



Green building is expected to become the norm in the construction industry long-term, with over a 20% market share by 2013.  LEED certification is the de facto standard thanks to 17 years of work by the USGBC.

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