Sustainable Certifications: LEED.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the world's most widely used green building rating system. LEED certification provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings, which offer environmental, social and governance benefits.
LEED is green building rating rating founded by the US Green Building Council and recognised worldwide, it aims to provide a framework for the design of more sustainable buildings and has created an evolving st of guidelines for architects and designers that encourage the construction of buildings that are more energy efficient, comfortable for occupants, and have the least possible impact on the natural environment.
Why obtain LEED certification?
Office buildings with LEED eco-labels can obtain rental premia of approximately 3–5% and sale price premia of 25%, and there’s no need to explain the benefits obtained from greater energy efficiency and regulation future-proofing within an asset.
SCORING
The LEED certification point system starts at 40 and goes up to a maximum of 110, with four grades awarded based on a building’s overall sustainability. The more points a building earns, the higher the certification level achieved.
The four levels of LEED certification are:
Certified: 40–49 points earned
Silver Certification: 50–59 points earned
Gold Certification: 60–79 points earned
Platinum Certification: 80+ points earned
THE PROCESS
To earn any kind of LEED certification, a building’s planning stage must first meet the prerequisite conditions for its particular building type. These are a set of baseline requirements that all buildings must adhere to before certification can even begin.
Once the prerequisites have been met, a building’s designer can choose which credits they want to aim for and the LEED certification level they want to target. There are hundreds of potential credits spread across nine impact categories, which the USGBC collates in its online LEED credit library.
The LEED credit categories are:
Integrative Process
Location and Transportation
Sustainable Sites
Water Efficiency
Energy and Atmosphere
Materials and Resources
Indoor Environmental Quality
Innovation
Regional Priority
These credits are converted into points, with some credits more valuable than others. For example, under the Indoor Environmental Quality category, a building could earn a credit for its Indoor Air Quality Assessment (up to two points); a credit for introducing natural daylight appropriately into a space (up to three points); and a credit for thermal comfort (one point).
THE UTOPI IMPACT
Utopi’s metering and environmental sensing solutions support a wide range of credits within the LEED certification process whether it be Indoor Environmental Quality, Energy and Atmosphere, or Water Efficiency to name just a few. And our partners at ESG Europe are also specialised in supporting clients with obtaining LEED certification in the most cost effective means for specific assets or portfolios.
Get in touch with to discuss how we can support your green certification process.