Green building is finding its way into the law books

Starting January 2009, builders in Connecticut will need to meet the equivalent of the LEED Silver rating on all public and private buildings (except residential with fewer than five units) costing $5 million or more. The following year, all renovations costing $2 million or more will have the same requirement. Connecticut isn’t the only state to do this. Hawaii, South Carolina, and Washington have green-building laws on the books as well.

According to Connecticut state Representative Clark Chapin (R-New Milford), the cost of building green has gone down enough to justify this legislation. “In the past, people estimated that it would add about 10% to the cost of a project,” said Chapin, “… but because the market is moving in that direction anyway, the costs have decreased. Most estimate that it would currently add about 2% to 3% to the total cost of a project.”