LEED for Existing Buildings Update: Shift to Performance Measurement

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) has been the most widely used and widely recognized green building certification in the United States for over a decade. The Existing Buildings Operation and Maintenance sector saw rapid growth under the LEED Version 2009 (v2009) rating system with over 4,000 projects achieving certification. Projects were able to register for v2009 through October 2016 and are eligible to use this rating system through June 2021. In 2014, the rating system was updated to LEED Version 4 (v4). The new version included more stringent criteria to meet prerequisites and achieve credits. The update resulted in less adoption in the market.

In 2016, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released Arc, an online software tool that allowed buildings to track their performance relative to other LEED certified buildings in five categories –energy, water, waste, transportation, and occupant comfort. In March 2018, the USGBC released a new rating system for existing buildings, LEED Version 4.1 (v4.1). The rating system includes seven prerequisites, ten credits, and five performance score categories –the same as those listed above in the Arc tool. Unlike v2009 and v4, which required recertification every five years, certification under v4.1 requires recertification every three years Projects are scored from zero to 100 with the same LEED rating levels as v2009 and v4 –40 points for Certified, 50 for Silver, 60 for Gold, and 80 for Platinum. Ninety of the 100 points are achieved through the five performance score categories. The figure below shows the point breakdown for an example project.

Most recently, LEED released new Recertification Guidance in November 2018. The guidance states that any previously LEED certified project, including LEED for New Construction projects, is eligible for LEED v4.1 for Operations and Maintenance certification by tracking the five performance categories in the Arc software and achieving at least 40 of 100 points. There are no prerequisites for any projects pursuing this new recertification option.

With the most recent rating system and the release of the new recertification guidance, it is clear that LEED is focusing on the performance score approach moving forward. Rather than analyze a property against the LEED rating system once every five years, LEED is encouraging properties to pursue ongoing improvement. Continuous monthly data entry and more frequent recertification will encourage property teams to improve their energy efficiency, water efficiency, waste diversion rate, transportation patterns, and indoor air quality. Improvements to each will increase their score and potentially increase their LEED rating.

With all of the changes outlined above, what is the best option for your property to achieve certification?

-If your property team would prefer to pursue certification once and have it last for five years, then LEED v2009 or v4 may be best. The property must have been registered for LEED v2009 in 2016 or earlier in order to use the rating system.

-If your property has a tenant base that may not be willing to take a transportation and occupant comfort survey once a year, then v2009 or v4 may be best.

-If your property has been certified under any New Construction (Building Design and Construction or Core and Shell) rating systems, then the new Recertification Guidance may be best as your project will forego all Existing Building prerequisites.

-If your property has not been LEED certified and has a tenant base willing to participate, then v4.1 may be best.

One additional piece to consider is the current situation with ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager and the ENERGY STAR Score. In August 2018, ENERGY STAR updated its scoring model to compare buildings to a national survey of buildings performed in 2012. The previous models were based on a survey from 2003. The update resulted in office properties seeing an average decrease in score of 13 points, with some buildings seeing a decrease of up to 30 points. The scoring model is currently under further review and ENERGY STAR certifications have been placed on hold until the model is finalized. The table below provides a summary of the frequency of submissions required to maintain LEED certification, the relative cost of each LEED rating system, and whether the ENERGY STAR Score is considered as part of the LEED certification process.

Each project should be evaluated separately to determine the best option for certification or recertification. As a first step, property teams should register their project on the Arc software tool and input 12 months of energy, water, and waste data to get a preliminary sense of how their property is performing in this new tool.