LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

LEED is the one of the most widely recognized program for rating the design, construction and operation of green buildings. It provides third-party verification that a building or community was designed, built and/or operates using strategies aimed at improving performance across important metrics including energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

Participation in LEED is voluntary and certification is flexible enough to apply to all building types – commercial as well as residential. It works throughout the building lifecycle – design and construction, operations and maintenance, tenant fit-out, and significant retrofit.

 

How LEED Certification Works:


 

LEED Certification promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability and uses a 100-point system that awards credits to projects based on how well they demonstrate environmental performance in the following key areas:

  • Sustainable Sites (SS)
  • Water Efficiency (WE)
  • Energy & Atmosphere (EA)
  • Materials & Resources (MR)
  • Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)

Additionally, 10 bonus credits are available, four of which address regionally specific environmental issues. A project must satisfy all prerequisites and earn a minimum number of points to be designated LEED certified.



LEED Rating System Updates:​



 

The LEED Rating Systems are frequently updated to reflect building real world design, application, and operations. In November, 2013, the US Green Building Council unveiled LEED v4 which will replace the current rating systems in June, 2015. Buildings may be certified to either v2009 or v4 until then. The new construction rating system adopts ASHRAE 90.1 2010 with a focus on energy efficiency, and a new lighting category is included.


 

To view the new rating system, visit LEED v4.

 



 


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