The City of Seattle?s Sustainable Building Policy requires new City facilities to achieveLEED? silver ratings. City policy makers commissioned a preliminary evaluation of the costeffectivenessof this policy for the first two buildings completed. The resultant life cycle costanalysis quantified costs and benefits for the projected LEED credits. It considered directbenefits, such as utility cost reductions, as well as indirect benefits, such as productivity gains,from LEED-influenced actions. Key data came from design teams and city project managers, aswell as relevant literature. This study found that LEED substantially influenced building designs,thereby increasing first costs slightly, but also providing significant benefits over time, mainly inreduced energy use and improved productivity. City investments in LEED certification for thesetwo buildings proved cost-effective, although this finding depends a great deal on the futureeffects of commissioning, measurement and verification, and measure persistence.
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