As we move into 2014, keep your eyes peeled for the new LEED Dynamic Plaque, which will be debuting in January for a limited number of participants, and then open to a wider audience by mid-2014.
The idea behind the new feature is that the more information building managers, owners, and occupants have, the better they will be able to manage their resource use. Rather than an actual physical plaque, the new feature is a web-based real-time feedback mechanism that reports up-to-date information on how a building is performing. Using measured data from five performance categories—energy, water, waste, transportation, and human experience—the LEED Dynamic Plaque will calculate a building’s overall performance score as well as scores for the sub-categories that comprise the certified score, explains Gretchen Sweeney, USGBC’s director and deputy to the senior vice president of LEED.
The information that feeds a building’s calculated score is collected in multiple ways. Basic components—such as square footage, occupants, etc.—is gathered during the certification process. Then, once a building is up and running, a building manager can either manually enter information from energy bills, meter readings, etc., or if a building has a building management program, that can be synched up so that the Dynamic Plaque is updated automatically. (USGBC is currently working with building product manufacturers to provide even more integration between building systems and the Dynamic Plaque.) Building occupants will also be able to log into the system to enter transportation information, further refining a building’s score.
The program will offer different views of scoring data for different audiences, including owners, occupants, and the public.
Does the Dynamic Plaque sound like something that will be helpful to you in your projects? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
The Knowledge Builder 