What is LEED®?

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is the major program supporting the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) mission for advancing buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. LEED focuses on five key areas of human and environmental health:

· Sustainable Sites
· Water Efficiency
· Energy and Atmosphere
· Materials and Resources
· Indoor Environmental Quality

There are currently nine specific LEED programs:

· New Commercial Construction and Major Renovation projects
· Existing Building Operations and Maintenance
· Commercial Interiors projects
· Core and Shell Development projects
· Homes
· Neighborhood Development
· Guidelines for Multiple Buildings and On-Campus Building Projects
· LEED for Schools
· LEED for Retail

The LEED Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. Each LEED program uses a point system* to determine what level of certification a building will achieve. For a detailed explanation of LEED and all its aspects, click here.

* link to LEED Rating System

LEED Rating System™

Each of the different LEED programs has its own specific point system in place that are used to determine what level of LEED certification a building or project will earn. You can find the specific details here.

However, each of the systems share a similar breakout of points. The system for new construction (LEED-NC) is the basis from which the other systems derived. Looking at LEED-NC will give you a better idea how LEED certification is determined.

LEED Rating Levels for New Construction and Major Renovations:

· Certified 26 to 32 pts
· Silver 33 to 38 pts
· Gold 39 to 51 pts
· Platinum 52 to 69 pts

The points are earned in these categories:

· Sustainable Sites (14 possible points)
· Water Efficiency (5 possible points)
· Energy & Atmosphere (17 possible points)
· Materials & Resources (13 possible points)
· Indoor Environmental Quality (15 possible points)
· Innovation and Design Process (5 possible points)

Total = 69 Possible Points

The specific conditions for earning points in each of the above categories is a complicated process and there are minimum requirements and detailed reporting issues to contend with, but to give you an idea of ways a building and its design can earn points in the general terms, here are some examples:

Sustainable Sites: Having appropriate access to public transportation, installing a bike rack and providing showering facilities for employees, utilizing a storm water retention system, installing a green roof system that reduces the heat island effect.

Water Efficiency: Installing systems that reduce water usage by 20 or 30%, utilizing water efficient landscaping or landscaping that doesn’t require any potable water.

Energy & Atmosphere: Using green power sources, using on-site renewable energy systems and implementing various technologies that optimize power usage.

Materials & Resources: Recycling during construction, reuse of materials during construction and using regional materials during construction.

Indoor Environmental Quality: Increasing ventilation, using low-emitting materials, increasing daylighting and adding lighting and thermal comfort control systems

Innovation and Design Process: The points for this category are not easily generalized, but there are many different building and system design options that can earn points. You can also earn a point for having a LEED Accredited Professional during the building or renovation process.