There has been a lot of talk recently about the so-called “Green Code,” also known as ASHRAE Standard 189, what it means, where it will be adopted, and what impact it will have on the green building market. In short: It's here, but many of its earliest adopters are city/municipal governments, so its effects in the short term will be somewhat geographically contained.

The code is similar in many ways to typical ASHRAE codes in that it establishes maximum levels of energy consumption in building design to maintain a baseline level of efficiency. However, ASHRAE 189 is unique in that it is modeled off LEED. Like typical codes, it provides specific requirements for energy efficiency in buildings; however, Standard 189 also extends to other “green building” considerations such as materials selection. The resulting building might look and behave much like a LEED-certified building, but is not labeled as such.