What is the difference between LEED and ENERGY STAR?
ENERGY STAR is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program that focuses on improving energy performance in buildings as a method of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating System is a green building certification offered by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). ENERGY STAR is a technical assistance and recognition program that offers owners and managers of all buildings access to tools and resources at no cost to help them evaluate their energy performance and reduce energy use and GHG emissions. Organizations are encouraged to begin by benchmarking the performance of their buildings using EPA’s Energy Performance Rating System’s two online energy tracking tools: Target Finder, to set targets for intended energy performance during the design phase, and Portfolio Manager, to measure and rate the energy performance of occupied and operating commercial structures. For certain types of b
