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<br />December 21, 2009 Section 3: Building Energy Use <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Page 24 <br />In May 2008, the City Council adopted an ordinance requiring a minimum certification rating by <br />the US Green Building Council (USGBC) in their Leadership in Energy and Environmental <br />Design (LEED) rating system. The ordinance sets a level of LEED Silver for all municipal <br />buildings and renovation projects that equal or exceed $3 million in construction costs. Any <br />project under the $3 million threshold is still encouraged by the City to be built embodying green <br />building principles. Savings increase with LEED achievement levels; LEED Certified is generally <br />25% more efficient than non-LEED buildings, Silver 35%, and Gold/Platinum 45%. Energy <br />efficiency is the fastest, cheapest, and easiest way to cut greenhouse emissions. Energy <br />efficiency has a much greater impact, or multiplier effect on the local economy than money <br />spent on energy bill payments. <br />Since 2006, the City has been formally promoting national and regional green building <br />guidelines for development. City staff have been active participants of the California Building <br />Officials Green Building Committee, which seeks to provide useful inf ormation to building <br />officials and others to promote the understanding and proper application of green building <br />technologies. The City also targets education for residents and developers as well as exploring <br />grant opportunities for green building assistance and incentives for projects achieving green <br />building certification. <br />Since January 2009, San Leandro‘s Building & Safety Division requires contractors and builders <br />to complete a Green Building checklist for all building permits that include: <br /> Any new construction <br /> Residential additions over 500 square feet <br /> Commercial/industrial projects over $100,000 in value <br />The goal of this initiative is to teach local builders about green building and the related <br />certification programs, and potentially achieve long term market transformation of increasing <br />awareness and understanding of green building practices. <br />Currently, the City has seven certified GreenPoint Raters (constituting all of the Building Division <br />inspector staff and the majority of the plan check staff) and two LEED Accredited Professionals <br />to provide technical assistance and support to applicants in achieving green building certification <br />for both commercial and residential projects. The City has also teamed up with sister cities in <br />southern Alameda County to create consistency among the cities in the development of green <br />building policy. In 2009, San Leandro co-hosted a developer‘s forum for residential green <br />building programs and policies in the south Alameda County area and coordinated a training <br />session with StopWaste.Org on the Small Commercial Checklist protocol in December 2009.