Building Energy Labels (Value of Rating Buildings' Features and Performance‪)‬

Sustainable construction comprises one-third of new construction, which is a significant increase from 2005, when it accounted for 2% of construction. (1) Building energy labeling has been a major factor in this increase, by giving energy-efficient, sustainable buildings a widely recognized brand and by providing quantitative metrics to distinguish the sustainable from the not-so-sustainable. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) run two popular building rating programs. EPA's ENERGY STAR rates commercial buildings on their energy performance, and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifies commercial buildings on their overall sustainability. Participation in both of these programs is voluntary.