In an effort to ensure that LEED® is appropriately addressing the rapidly changing market, USGBC is launching its newest version of the rating system – LEED 2009 – at Greenbuild 2008. The upgraded rating system is part of the three-part LEED v. 3 initiative.

You may be wondering, “What does this mean?”

To ease the transition into the new rating system, the following information may answer your burning questions.

What are the goals of v. 3?

There are three overarching goals of the upgraded rating system:

1. To increase the capacity of both builders and USGBC by centralizing all certifications into one entity – the Green Building Certification Institute,
2. To increase the speed of certification through an upgraded LEED Online process, and
3. To increase the performance of LEED certified buildings through an upgraded rating system (LEED 2009).

Why is USGBC changing the rating system again?

Simply put, LEED v. 3 attempts to better address the needs of both the market and our environment. In light of increasing energy costs, pending carbon regulations, and increasing market demand, the upgrade is USGBC’s effort to increase the efficiency, capacity and performance of the LEED rating system.

What is this “bookshelf” concept?

A major component of the system upgrade is the rating system’s shift to the bookshelf model. That is, each credit (or book) is now the same credit for all rating systems and is part of LEED’s library of sustainable ideas and methods. Each rating system (i.e. NC, CI, Schools, etc.) has its own “reading list,” or a collection of credits that pertain to its market-specific needs and requirements.

What are the benefits of this new model?

Overall, the bookshelf model creates a more elegant and harmonized rating system. All rating systems can now be upgraded at the same time and on a more predictable cycle.

Also, with all rating systems now aligned under common criteria, the resulting common denominator enables relative impacts to be addressed and performance can be more easily compared.

What are the major differences I should know about?

Points in Harmony
As previously stated, LEED 2009 creates a more harmonized and integrated point system. Now all ratings are determined based on a 110-point system – 100 points, plus 10 potential bonus points – six potential points for Innovation and Design (only 3 are available for exemplary performance) and four potential points for regional priority.

Credit Changes
Three credits have undergone significant changes under LEED 2009:
o    WEc3.1 – 30% water use reduction from Energy Policy Act of 1992 performance requirements – is now a prerequisite
o    EAc1 – optimized energy performance – is now a prerequisite
o    MRc7 – use of certified wood – may undergo changes to benchmark criteria for sustainable forest products. *This decision is still pending.

Weight Redistribution

TRACI Areas of Concern

Climate change
Resource depletion
Human health
Water intake
Eco-toxicity
Eutrophication
Habitat alteration
Smog formation
Acidification
Indoor air quality
Ozone depletion

LEED 2009 redistributes the weight of available points within each rating system relative to each credit’s ability to potentially mitigate a building’s environmental impact. This enables the ability to measure the relative impacts of buildings. 

USGBC weighs each credit using the areas of concern identified by EPA’s Tools for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemicals and other Impacts (TRACI life-cycle analysis). Climate change as been identified as the most important area of concern and thus receives the most weight. Reflecting this, LEED 2009 puts a much greater emphasis on energy efficiency – 32% of LEED 2009 points come from EA credits versus 24% of LEED v. 2.2 points.  As a result, buildings that ignore climate change impacts are inhibited from performing well in LEED.

Regionalism Addressed
LEED is no longer a “one-size-fits-all” system under v. 3. Existing credits will be assigned differing weights based on specific regional issues (regions are segmented by zip code). Six credits, determined by regional councils and chapters, will be eligible for the regionalism weight, and four bonus points can be earned in the Regional Priority category. Note: there will not be different credits addressing regional issues.

What are the changes to the specific rating systems?

Within each rating system, a few significant changes have been made:

LEED-NC

• A greater emphasis is given to development density, community connectivity, and public transportation access, assigning Sustainable Sites a higher percentage of points
• Greater emphasis is given to energy performance and on-site renewable energy

LEED for Schools

• Schools is more aligned with LEED-NC
• Modifications to EQp3 and EQc9, which deal with acoustics, have been made
• A relatively greater weight has been given to indoor environmental quality (vs. the LEED 2009 average)

LEED-CS

• Retains the same weight in Sustainable Sites category
• A greater emphasis is given to building reuse
• Relatively less emphasis is put on indoor environmental quality (vs. LEED 2009 average)

LEED-CI

• Received the most updates across the board
• Greater emphasis is placed on enhanced commissioning, measurement and verification and green power
• Acquired more rigorous requirements for daylighting and views

LEED-EBOM

• Underwent a dramatic weight reduction in MR and EQ categories
• Less emphasis is placed on green cleaning and purchasing
• Three credits have been added for buildings previously certified under NC or CS to encourage the proper management of already “green” buildingsUnderwent a higher emphasis in energy efficiency
• A higher emphasis was also given to sustainable sites and a transportation management plan
• The commissioning credit was broken into 3 different credits

How can I make the transition as smooth as possible?

To best prepare for the transition to LEED 2009, the following is recommended:

1. Register projects before the end of the year to keep options open; this avoids the need to adjust a project to 2009 standards.
2. Conduct an assessment of your building’s potential performance under the old and new LEED standards.
3. Stay up-to-date on the reference guides, errata and CIRs