LEED Certification

LEED Certification

LEED Certification

Introduction

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a rating system devised by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to evaluate the environmental performance of a building and encourage market transformation towards sustainable design. The system is credit-based, allowing projects to earn points for environmentally friendly actions taken during construction and use of a building.

In the United States and in a number of other countries around the world, it is the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability. Achieving LEED certification is the best way for you to demonstrate that your building project is truly green.

Many cities and states either provide tax credits or grants for green buildings, or require green building certification for public buildings. The U.S. government is adopting LEED or similar green building standards for the General Services Administration (which owns or leases over 8300 buildings), the U.S. Army, the Department of State, the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Numerous states including California, New York, Oregon, and Washington have adopted LEED for public buildings. Many agencies are requiring LEED silver certification as a minimum. Thirteen countries have expressed interest in LEED including China and India; these countries have exceptionally high levels of new building construction. Conditions vary and the list is growing, so please contact local jurisdictions or USGBC for details. Support for green buildings has increased rapidly each year over the last five years.( Stephen 2005)

LEED certification levels

LEED certification can be attained on four different levels, which are determined by a credit, or point, system. The levels of LEED certification are Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. A building or project can attain LEED certification by submitting an application that documents compliance with the requirements set for in the LEED rating system. The Green Building Council issues LEED certification upon satisfactory application, review and compliance verification. There are fees associated with LEED certification.( Alanna 2005)

LEED professional accreditation is also attainable by individuals, contractors, project managers, and other industry professionals. Professional accreditation demonstrates that an individual or company is well-versed in the LEED system and can work with other individuals and developers to oversee the building process and follow guidelines to attain LEED certification.

Some of the practices utilized or observed for LEED certification include the use of recycled material, eliminating or reducing the amount of waste leaving a job site, re-using existing material, using sustainable green building material, and using low-emitting materials such as caulk and sealers.

LEED certification can be achieved in both new construction, as well as renovations. The Green Building Council has given LEED certification to a number of new construction projects in the state of California including the Department of Motor Vehicles in San Ysidro and the Department of Education in Sacramento, both of which are Gold certified. Many other states can also boast LEED certified government buildings and certification has also been widely achieved within the private sector as well.(Jeanne, 2008)

LEED certification, which includes a rigorous third-party commissioning process, offers compelling proof to ...