Assessing LEED versus Non-LEED Energy Consumption for a University Campus in North America: A Preliminary Study

Today, buildings contribute about 40% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions and consume about 70% of the electricity produced in the United States. Due to this high rate of consumption, governments and numerous organizations have worked avidly on ways to design, build, and recognize high-performance or sustainable buildings. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system is intended to award buildings that "save energy, use fewer resources and reduce pollution." This paper is part of a study that aims to test the following hypothesis: LEED certified buildings save energy in their operations phase. The research objective was accomplished by investigating LEED-certified buildings on a university campus and measuring their energy performance against that of non-LEED building counterparts. Energy performance was calculated in terms of energy unit intensity (EUI) by combining heating, cooling, and electricity data from the metered buildings on campus. Preliminary data show LEED-certified dormitory buildings seem to have lower energy consumption as compared to non-LEED buildings, LEED-certified research buildings seem to use more energy than their non-LEED counterparts, and LEED office buildings are not displaying major differences in energy performance. However, the use and research intensity of these buildings and their effect on energy consumption have not been investigated yet, and statistical analysis is currently being completed to verify these preliminary conclusions.