Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized certification system. It was developed by the United States Green Building Council as a guide for building owners to help protect the environment and save money in the long term by implementing specific environmentally friendly and cleaner building guidelines for construction and design.
LEED certification is given on passing a rigorous sustainability certification process which rates a building on best practices for energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, better indoor quality and the proper management of natural resources in buildings and environmental systems.
The certification points given by LEED 3.0 implemented in 2009, gives a basic ‘Certified’ rating to a project earning 40-49 points. A Silver Certification is given for attaining 50-59 points whereas Gold and Platinum Certifications are given for scoring 69-70 points and 80 points and above respectively.
The LEED program has five main categories in which points toward certification can be earned. These are Green Building Design and Construction, Green Interior Design and Construction, Green Building Operations & Maintenance, Green Neighbourhood Development and Green Home Design and Construction.
The framework under which LEED points are awarded needs to be clearly understood by those desirous of apply for LEED certification. LEED 3.0 ratings extend from 0 to 110. The scoring system is given below:
Minimum Program Requirements (0 points) – This section consists of the minimum requirements for a project to qualify for a LEED certification of any level. These are perfunctory qualifications; for instance, the building must have a floor area of at least 1,000 feet, exist as a permanent structure and comply with all applicable environmental laws.
Sustainable Sites (26 Possible Points) – The prerequisite for the Sustainable Sites category aims to curtail pollution and soil erosion that often result from construction. This category also offers points for strategies toward cultivating overall sustainability. For instance, a project wins points for choosing an urban or brownfield site rather than a previously undeveloped area. This category also pertains to the building’s direct environmental impact on the immediate area.
Water Efficiency (10 Possible Points) – The prerequisite here is for the building to use 20 percent less water than the USGBC baseline for buildings of similar size and occupation. A project garners further points for going substantially beyond this 20 percent reduction in water use, as well as implementing further water conservation measures that pertain to landscaping and wastewater technologies.
Energy and Atmosphere (35 Possible Points) -This category focuses mainly on building commissioning and the energy performance of main systems such as HVAC and Lighting. It entails three prerequisites: the building must be fundamentally commissioned (commissioning a building is the testing and balancing of the main systems to assure optimum performance), use at least 10 percent less energy than the USGBC baseline, and contain systems that do not use any chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) based refrigerants. Extra points go for progressing further than prerequisite dictates in these areas as well as for the use of renewable energy sources for building operation.
Materials and Resources (14 Possible Points)This category deals with reuse and recycling of materials, both in the construction and the ongoing operation of the building.
Indoor Environmental Quality ( 15 Possible Points) – This category deals mainly with indoor air quality issues including ventilation, off-gassing of materials and thermal comfort. It also deals with the need for lighting systems to be energy efficient as well as adequate for all necessary tasks.
Extra Credit (10 Possible Points) – There are two categories with no prerequisites where extra-credit points can be garnered. These are Innovation in Design and Regional Priority. Innovation in Design deals with successful and innovative solutions for environmental and sustainable concerns. Regional Priority focuses on the addressing of region-specific environmental issues.
The applicant is required to register the project with the Green Building Certification Institute. An upfront fee has to be paid on registering for the first time followed by an online application.
The applicant must submit the following information to be eligible for certification for a project:
• The rating system for which project is being submitted– Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum
• LEED registration information including project contact, project type, project size, number of occupants, and date of construction completion
• A project narrative and three project highlights The LEED Project Checklist, including project prerequisites and credits and total projected score
• Copies of your most recent LEED Letter Templates and supporting documentation
• Drawings and photos illustrative of the project, including site plan typical floor plan ,typical building section , typical or primary elevation , photo or rendering of project
• Design credits submitted for preliminary approval
• After construction credits are submitted for final approval for LEED certification
The people applying for LEED certification is advised to set a clear environmental target, set a clear and adequate budget and adhere to the budget and LEED goal, engineer a Life Cycle value and hire LEED-accredited professionals. These can suggest ways to earn LEED credits without extra cost, identify means of offsetting certain expenses with savings in other areas and spot opportunities for synergies in your project.
LEED project certification is an asset in more ways than one. The organization or individual is recognized for their commitment to environmental issues in the community and organization (including stockholders), and industry. There is third party validation of achievement. The entity qualifies for a growing array of state & local government initiatives and receives marketing exposure through USGBC Web site. Moreover building costs 30% lower than conventional buildings and the building values are higher than conventional buildings.
It is no wonder then that LEED certifications have grown tremendously over the past three years. The report ‘Green Buildings by the Numbers’ published in April 2009 by the US Green Business Council, creator of the LEED certification says that there are 2,416 LEED certified projects and 19,524 registered projects distributed over 90 countries. Commercial building space with LEED certification amounts to more than 5 billion square feet. The number is growing by leaps and bounds.
