LEED Merely Mandates Good Engineering Practices

From an HVAC perspective, LEED certification has made good HVAC design and project management practices official doctrine. Rather than simply doing good work as a matter of pride, engineers can be now rewarded for their good work.

Now that LEED certification has become a norm, engineers that already followed good design practices can easily market themselves as Green. Meanwhile others need to catch up.

Before LEED came into being, I worked for a very good design firm called Circle Design Group in Indianapolis. Circle Design Group designed energy efficient systems that were easy to operate, maintain, and modify. Before the term came into vogue, at the end of each project, the firm performed full commissioning of its systems. It was just the right thing to do. Now, engineers can be paid extra for commissioning.

The great accomplishment of LEED is that the engineering practices of firms like Circle Design Group are not just a good idea, they are mandated. Most new buildings seek LEED certification. To receive LEED certification, a building must meet good engineering practices. It must be energy efficient, clean, healthy, and easy to operate, maintain, and upgrade.

Engineers like Circle Design Group haven’t needed to change their practices, but merely document their good work to meet the standard.

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