How To Get LEED Certified: Requirements & Steps
Pursuing green certifications for your buildings takes time and money, so why should you bother doing it? It’s the same principle as earning a professional certification for a job. You know you have the skills, but you need to prove it to potential employers to be seen as an attractive candidate. Building certifications, including LEED Certification, show potential occupants and buyers that your building is energy-efficient and will reduce operational costs. Learn how to get LEED Certified and make sure everyone can easily see your commitment to green building practices.
What Is LEED Certification?
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a globally recognized green building industry rating system. The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) launched the program in 1998 as a pilot program and it became a formal rating system in 2000. It is similar to BREEAM, but there are key differences between LEED and BREEAM.
Since 2000, LEED has undergone multiple changes and currently offers certifications for different projects ranging from design and construction to residential properties, and even for broad urban planning efforts. Professionals in green building and sustainable design can also pursue LEED accreditations, such as a LEED Green Associate (LEED GA) and a LEED AP with a specialty. Professional credentials, such as an accreditation, show clients that you understand what it takes to achieve certification for buildings.
Why Should You Get the LEED Certification?
The cost to certify a building ranges from around $1,000 on the low end to over $20,000 on the high end, based on the building’s size and intended use. If you’re a member of the USGBC, you can get discounts. Since LEED-certified buildings are energy efficient, you can recoup some of your LEED certification costs through savings on utilities; some local governments also offer incentives to develop green buildings. Once you’re ready to sell, a LEED certification can also boost your resale value.
Download our eBook: The Role of IAQ in LEED, WELL, and Fitwell Certifications
4 LEED Certification Levels
LEED certification uses a tiered approach, awarding points based on specific sustainability criteria such as carbon, energy usage, water, waste, transportation, materials, indoor air quality, and building health. There are four LEED certification levels in each category:
LEED Certified: means that your building has earned 40-49 points.
LEED Silver: means your building has earned 50-59 points.
LEED Gold: means that your building has earned 60-79 points.
LEED Platinum: means that your building has earned more than 80 points.
3 LEED Certification Requirements
If you’re curious about achieving LEED certification, make sure you meet these requirements:
Fixed location: The LEED certification process considers a project’s location, including being built on existing land. If your building is designed to move at any point, it is not eligible for certification.
LEED boundaries: This refers to a project's property line and all of its land and water. It’s usually defined by how your project is platted and includes stormwater treatment, sidewalks, parking lots, and other external parts of your property involved in building operations.
Size requirements: To qualify for LEED certification, your building needs to fit into pre-defined size limits based on the certification you decide to pursue. For example, LEED building design and construction projects must be a minimum of 1,000 square feet.
How To Get LEED Certified in 5 Steps
If you’re ready to shout your commitment to green building principles from the rooftops, take these steps to certify your project:
1. Select a Rating System
Before you start cutting checks and filling out paperwork, choose the rating system that best fits your building. You can choose from:
Building Design + Construction (BD+C)
Operations + Maintenance (O+M)
Interior Design and Construction
Residential
Cities and Communities
Recertification
Rate each square foot of your building and choose the proper rating system based on your percentages. For example, if you want to certify a new build that is less than 60% complete, you would choose BD+C, core and shell development. If you want to certify your new data center, more than 60% of the building must be used as a data center for the BD+C certification.
2. Register the Project
When you’ve chosen the proper rating system, register your project. It’s a simple process that involves going to LEED Online and following prompts. You need to know your anticipated start date and end date for development, along with the gross floor area. Have these measurements handy before you start the registration process.
3. Plan and Select Credits
Download the guide for your chosen rating system to understand how your building qualities for credits. Hold a meeting with your building’s owners, designers, engineers, contractors, tenant representatives, and others to discuss your goals. For example, your overarching goal could be to improve building health. In this case, you would look for credits related to indoor air quality and other health metrics such as proximity to bike routes or pedestrian traffic. Healthy buildings and IAQ go hand-in-hand, so this would be a great credit for your goal.
4. Gather Documentation and Apply
Once you know you’ve met the criteria for your desired credits, assemble documentation proving your compliance. This includes site plans, site photos, renderings, drawings, inspection reports, and data on energy usage, etc. Understanding the role of IAQ in LEED certification helps you determine your required documentation. If you’ve chosen to improve building health, you could include dashboards from indoor air quality monitoring as part of your documentation.
5. Receive Certification
When the USGBC receives your application, they will review it and rule on it. They may follow up with you for clarifications or additional documentation. You need to provide updates on any prerequisites and progress on your identified credits. After the reviewer decides how many points you’ve earned, you will receive a plaque you can display to let everyone know your building has been certified.
Maximize Your LEED Certification Potential With Attune
Attune offers multiple solutions to help you prove compliance with your chosen credits. LEED offers multiple credits for indoor air quality, water quality, and energy usage. Our plug and play solution includes IoT sensors that collect real-time data.
Scan your dashboards showcasing water quality, airborne contaminant levels, energy usage, and more. Our solutions also highlight your dedication to green building by allowing you to keep monitoring indoor air quality, water quality, and energy consumption. You can identify problems when they arise and keep your building running sustainably far into the future.
Schedule a demo today to learn how we can help you on your quest for LEED certification.
