Ever Green: a Post-occupancy Building Performance Analysis of Leed Certified Homes in New England

The purpose of this research was to conduct a pilot study of LEED certified homes in New England one to five years after occupancy to determine whether they continue to perform at the level predicted during the certification process. Four criteria were defined to assess the performance of each home: (1) energy consumption for heating, cooling, lighting, electronics and appliances; (2) building envelope and air infiltration; (3) operations and maintenance; and (4) occupant satisfaction and indoor air quality. Both qualitative and quantitative methods including blower door and duct blaster tests, utility bill analysis, and an occupant satisfaction survey were used to measure the post-occupancy performance of seven LEED certified homes in New England. Discrepancies were found between the original building performance as determined at the time of certification and the current level of building performance. While this is limited, initial research, these findings indicate a need for further post-occupancy research that can provide feedback to green certification programs, allowing them to be modified as necessary to better reflect the actual environmental impacts of certified buildings.