File:Cost analysis of LEED certified United States navy buildings (IA costnalysisoflee1094524341).pdf

A study was completed at UW-Madison in 2010 that reviewed the energy consumption of US Navy buildings which earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The research compared LEED certified buildings to a commercial counterpart within the US Navy inventory against Executive Order (EO) 13423. The EO mandated that all federal agencies meet a 30 percent reduction of electricity and water consumption. This research expands on the 2010 study to analyze the construction costs associated with LEED certification in US Navy owned buildings with the goal of identifying the costs associated with LEED construction to determine the economic feasibility of LEED certification. The objectives of the study are met by comparing the building construction costs between the LEED certified and comparison building, as well as, the calculation of a simple payback period for the US Navy LEED certified buildings. The results indicate that although some of the building had satisfactory results, half would not be considered economically feasible. Furthermore, neither the level of LEED certification nor the amount of LEED points earned correlate to successfully meeting EO 13423 s mandate.