I've already pimped several times for Building Energy '09, but I want to mention the public forum that is table-setter for it.

This year, the provocative topic is, "Do LEED buildings really use more energy than regular buildings?" I thought for sure that was a error, that it should say, "...really use less energy ..." but no. Either way, the question of LEED's efficacy is certainly open within energy circles, even if, by practicality, the issue is closed: LEED is the de facto standard for green building. I often think of it in terms of VHS and Beta: Beta was a television industry standard, but lost out in the marketplace for reasons not having to do with value.

I'm not saying that something better than LEED is out there; I don't have enough information on the range of others to know. I'm just saying that I'm aware of LEED flaws, beginning with that its ratings are predictive, rather than based on performance after the fact. Don't we want to know if the green actions worked, rather than awarding those who could certify they took the steps that oughta work?

The forum tomorrow is free, and I'm looking forward to it. Hope to see you there.