The number of buildings seeking LEED certification has been growing steadily over the past few years. In this study, three academic buildings which were designed and built to LEED certification standards were targeted in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Their electricity consumption and cost effectiveness were examined and compared with predesigned LEED efficiency models of those three buildings. This research directly examined cost effectiveness of LEED buildings in terms of electricity usage. Three case studies were completed to find the initial and on-going electricity costs of LEED buildings and to verify the LEED standard results. LEED aspects of these buildings were discussed with contractors, architects, project managers, and building maintenance personnel who participated in LEED projects and non-LEED sustainable projects.

Bygg- och fastighetssektorn står idag för en betydande andel av de utsläpp som ärdirekt farliga för miljön. Miljöcertifieringar av byggnader är ett led i arbetet med attminska den mänskliga påverkan på miljön inom fastighetsbranschen.Akademiska Hus är ett svenskt och statligt ägt fastighetsbolag som förvaltaruniversitets- och högskolelokaler. Bolaget arbetar aktivt med att minska sinmiljöpåverkan och ett av verktygen i det arbetet är att företaget certifierar samtliganybyggnationer och större ombyggnationer med det svenska certifieringssystemetMiljöbyggnad.Den här studien redovisar hur hyresnivån inom Akademiska Hus fastighetsbeståndpåverkas av att en byggnad är miljöcertifierad. Studien har genomförts genom attskapa statistisk modell baserad på en rad olika variabler som förklarar hyresnivån. Dendata som använts är baserad på hyreskontrakt och attribut för de byggnader somkontrakten tillhör.Resultatet visar att en miljöcertifierad byggnad inom Akademiska Husfastighetsbestånd har tio procent högre hyresnivå i jämförelse med övriga byggnader.Resultatet ligger i linje med både förväntningar och vad tidigare liknande studier visat. / The construction and real estate industry accounts for a significant proportion of theemissions that are directly hazardous to the environment. Environmental certificationsof buildings are part of the work to reduce the human impact on the environmentwithin the real estate industry.Akademiska Hus is a Swedish and state-owned property company that managesuniversity premises. The company works actively to reduce its environmental impactand one of the tools in this process is that the company certifies all new constructionand major renovations with the Swedish certification system Miljöbyggnad.This study reports on how the rent level within Akademiska Hus real estate portfolio isaffected by the fact that a building is certified. This study has been carried out bycreating a statistical model based on a variety of variables that explain the rent level.The data used is based on rental contracts and attributes for the buildings to which thecontract belong.The result shows that an environmental certified building within Akademiska Hus realestate portfolio has a ten percent higher rent level compared to other buildings. Theresult was in line with both expectations and what previous similar studies have shown.

The building industry is one of the most polluting industry in the world as buildings are responsible for 30% of greenhouse gas emission in the world (IAE, 2010) and have very low replacement rates. Measuring the environmental impacts of construction is now a major concern.The main objective of this thesis was to give an overview of the current status of building certifications, discuss the expected roles and limitations of building certifications, and analyze the impact of building certification tools during the conception of a building or an urban project.For the following thesis, qualitative research was used the most since the purpose is to have a better understanding of the role of building certifications among building and real estate professionals. An empirical study was made consisting of 9 semi-structured interviews and a survey designed for building professionals such as architects, constructors, environmental building consultants, and property developers.This paper shows that certification tools are becoming very common among building professionals especially in metropolitan areas such as Paris. The main drivers for developing certified buildings are client demand, marketing advantage and an overall high quality building. The main obstacle remains the initial cost. Building professionals from the interview and the survey almost all agree that certifications are a good guide and assessment tool to build high quality buildings. However, building professionals are quite insure on the impact of certification tools on sustainability on the conception of a building or urban project as many factors are to take into account.