The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council is undergoing some significant changes in 2009. Both the formal LEED certification programs, which impact buildings, and the LEED credentialing programs, which affect both practicing and potential candidates for the LEED Accredited Professional status, are being modified this year. As consultants who work with clients to achieve LEED certification for their projects and LEED AP designation on a daily basis, we believe it is important for every professional to have a thorough understanding of what these changes are and how they affect you.

Becoming a LEED Accredited Professional

The LEED Professional Credentialing Program is changing for 2009. As of June 2009, there will be a three-tier level for LEED Accreditation:

The Green Associate designation (tier 1) is for professionals who need to demonstrate a certain degree of understanding about green design, construction and operations but do not necessarily need to become a LEED Accredited Professional.

The LEED AP+ (tier 2) is for professionals who require a greater breadth of knowledge in green design, building and operation practices. The LEED AP+ accreditation can be achieved in five different specializations, including Building Design and Construction (BD+C), LEED for Operations and Maintenance (O+M), LEED for Homes (Homes), Interior Design and Construction (ID+C) or LEED for Neighborhood Developments (ND).

As an elite recognition, a LEED Fellow (tier 3) is for professionals who are distinguished by their years of experience and project portfolio in the green building industry.

With the dawn of the new credentialing program, after June 2009, the LEED AP exam will be a two-step process. The first exam will be a core examination (Green Associate) and will consist of 100 questions. The second exam will be a specialty exam in the desired field of concentration (BD+C, O+M, Homes, ID+C or ND) and will also consist of 100 questions. Details about how to achieve the LEED Fellow designation are yet to be announced.

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Continuing Education for Existing LEED APs

Existing LEED APs will have two years from the launch of the new credentialing program to opt in to the new system in order to keep their accreditation active. To maintain a Green Associate and LEED AP+ designation, the candidate must first sign a disciplinary policy and agree to the credentialing maintenance program that requires the accumulation of continuing education credits reportable every two years.

LEED Certification of Buildings; New Point Scale and More

The USGBC describes the three major changes to the LEED program as:

1. Harmonization: Credits and prerequisites from all LEED commercial and institutional rating systems have been consolidated and aligned, drawing on their most effective common denominators, so that credits and prerequisites are consistent across all LEED 2009 rating systems. Necessary precedent-setting and clarifying information from Credit Interpretation Rulings (CIRs) were incorporated into the rating systems. LEED for Homes and LEED for Neighborhood Development will not be changed under LEED 2009.

2. Credit weightings: The second major advancement that comes with LEED 2009 is that credits will now have different weightings depending on their ability to impact different environmental and human health concerns. With revised credit weightings, LEED now awards more points for strategies that will have greater positive impacts on what matters most — energy efficiency and CO2 reductions. Each credit was evaluated against a list of 13 environmental impact categories, including climate change, indoor environmental quality, resource depletion and water intake, among many others. The impact categories were prioritized, and credits were assigned a value based on how they contributed to mitigating each impact. The result revealed each credit’s portion of the big picture, giving the most value to credits that have the highest potential for making the biggest change. The credits are all intact; they are just worth different amounts. As a result, LEED 2009 will operate on a 100-point scale rather than the previous 69-point scale used in LEED v2.2.

3. Regionalization: Through USGBC’s regional councils, chapters and affiliates, regionally specific environmental issues were identified. For a project’s specific location, six LEED credits have been prioritized because they address the specific environmental issues. The project will be awarded up to four extra points (one point per credit) for earning the priority credits.

What Does This Mean to You?

While the USGBC has provided some incentives for infill buildings, brownfield developments and the reuse of existing buildings, by all appearances they have taken this approach to a new level.

In the Sustainable Sites category, the point totals have been almost doubled from 14 in LEED v2.2 to 26 points in v3. The most significant modifications appear in the categories listed below:

The USGBC is moving to make a significant statement regarding the application of infill development and the use of public transportation over the continued reliance on single-occupancy vehicles. Additional options and modified templates will increase the number of strategic decisions made during the charrette process.

Water Has a New Prerequisite

A prerequisite has emerged in the Water Efficiency category. Previously, Water Efficiency has been devoid of a prerequisite, but that has now changed with the bar being established at the 20 percent level of conservation over the baseline case. The Water Efficient Landscaping credit has now expanded from 2 to 4 points, as has the Water Use Reduction credit. These changes mean more decisions for LEED APs and project teams relative to water use and efficiencies.

Energy & Atmosphere Points Have More Than Doubled

The Energy & Atmosphere category now comes in at a very weighty 35 points. Previously significant at 17 points, the USGBC has placed a great deal more emphasis on energy performance and renewable applications. The Optimize Energy Performance credit has gone from 10 to 19 points, and the On-Site Renewable Energy credit has more than doubled from 3 to 7 points. The USGBC has also raised the incentives on Measurement & Verification by increasing the point totals from 1 to 3 points for performance.

The energy performance standard has been raised to the ASHRAE 90.1-2007 plateau with the Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite defined as 10 percent below this benchmark. The bar was also raised for achieving the first point under the Optimize Energy Performance credit to require a 12 percent energy savings rather than the 10 percent requirement used previously.

To encourage increased use of the On-Site Renewable Resources credit, the point scale has become more expansive with one point awarded for 1 percent energy savings and extending to 7 points at the 13 percent savings level.

Materials & Resources Virtually Unscathed

The LEED Materials & Resources category has remained virtually unchanged with some modifications focused upon upgrading reference documents. The new CSI divisions are now incorporated reflecting the use of Masterformat 2004 as the overarching application, thereby referring to Divisions 3-10, 31 and 32 as the materials cost for the project.

Ditto for Indoor Environmental Quality

The Indoor Environmental Quality category has also received only minor changes. Standards have been raised to incorporate ASHRAE 62.1-2007. Similarly, for Credit 3.1 Construction IAQ Management Plan, During Construction the standard has been raised to include the SMACNA 008-2008 Chapter 3 requirements. Additional clarifications and considerations have been included in various credits.

What About Innovation in Design Process?

Innovation in Design credits have been increased from 4 points to 5 points. However, a new caveat has been added that will allow no more than three of the ID points achieved through exemplary performance. This move will effectively encourage more innovative green ideas that can be used on projects.

New Regional Priority Category

A new “Regional Priority” category has been added to LEED BD+C (LEED v3) raising the total number of points possible to 110. Six LEED credits have been prioritized because they address the specific environmental issues of a region. Upon project registration, LEED-Online automatically determines a project’s regional priority credits based upon the project’s zip code. The project may be awarded up to four extra points (one point per credit) for earning the priority credits. A regional priority credit database was made available on April 27, 2009.

I have attempted to provide you a brief overview of the changes that are forthcoming in 2009 from the USGBC. I encourage you to take the time to study these changes for yourself, get access to the new series of Reference Guides, check out the USGBC website and join your local chapter to compare notes and become involved in the discussions surrounding LEED 2009 v3. If you need more information, please feel free to contact Green Ideas.