CEED earns platinum energy certification

The center gets highest marks in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design


Wednesday, August 29, 2012

By STACEY HAIRSTON - Staff Writer

The Center for Energy Efficient Design (CEED) for Franklin County schools has been awarded a platinum energy certification.

The certification was for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council.
"This is the early endorsement we were going for," said Dr. Kevin Bezy, principal of the Gereau Center. "This is the highest LEED certification available."
Adam Cohen, a certified Passivhaus consultant, is the architect who designed and built the CEED project. Cohen received notification on Aug. 17 from the council that his project had achieved platinum LEED certification.
"Adam Cohen designed the building and submitted the reports. About three months ago, I knew we had gold, but we were just waiting on the confirmation," Bezy said.
LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, locations and linkages, awareness and education, innovation in design and regional priority.
"We are pretty pleased and excited," said Bezy. "I know of no other LEED certified building in Franklin County. And I am sure there is only one building in the county (CEED) that is platinum certified."
Participation in LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings' performance.
There are environmental and financial benefits to earning LEED certification, according to the U.S. Green Building Council's website. LEED-certified buildings are designed to lower operating costs and increase asset value, reduce waste sent to landfills, conserve energy and water, be healthier and safer for occupants, reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and qualify for tax rebates, zoning allowances and other incentives.
An organization which participates in the voluntary and technically rigorous LEED process demonstrates leadership, innovation, environmental stewardship and social responsibility.
For more information on LEED and what it measures, visit the U.S. Green Building Council's website at www.usgbc.org.