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The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced a New Year's gift for LEED 2009 project teams: an upgrade to the new LEED Online.

From Dec. 28, 2014 till Jan. 5, 2015 both LEED Online v3 (used by LEED 2009 projects) and the new LEED Online (used by LEED v4, Homes, and Campuses) will be down for maintenance.

Then, on Jan. 5, 2015, LEED 2009 projects using BD+C, ID+C and EB:O+M rating systems will be find themselves on the new LEED Online platform, and new LEED 2009 projects will register and use it going forward.

LEEDuser's energy efficiency forums get a lot of traffic, but our community also has a lot of questions about light pollution, IEQ, and other key LEED topics.

Which LEED credits stimulate the most questions? These LEEDuser forums are the most active—if you have questions, chances are they may have been discussed before. Click below to visit the forum and check it out. 

Don't see the credit you're looking for? See all our rating systems and credits here. 

LEED-NC 2009

NC-2009 EAp2

NC-2009 EAc1

LEEDuser offers hundreds of documentation samples for LEED projects. These are the most popular.

The official title of our repository of templates, tools, calculators, spreadsheets, and samples that you can use on your LEED projects is our Documentation Toolkit. 

USGBC claims that the LEED 2009 extension wasn’t intended to delay market adoption of LEED v4; giving users a risk-free way to try v4 can make that work.

by Nadav Malin

You heard it here first: the new LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) exams require a much deeper knowledge of the reference guide.

by Paula Melton

Editor's note: Need tips on the v4 LEED AP exam? Click to learn about our BD+C Exam Prep guide, which includes a 45-page companion workbook and a 50-question online sample exam.

The market needs additional time to prepare for LEED v4, says USGBC, in keeping LEED 2009 registration open longer.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has decided that requiring new LEED projects to register for LEED v4 as of June 2015 was too soon and has shifted that date back to October 31, 2016. In an announcement released this morning, USGBC said that it was giving the market more time to get ready for LEED v4 based on feedback it received during last week's annual Greenbuild conference.

Another year and another amazing class of LEED Fellows

Following is the group being recognized this week at Greenbuild 2014 by USGBC for their volunteer hours, mentoring, organizational leadership, and innovation. I'm blown away by the contributions of everyone listed to the green building movement.

Congratulations!

New hardware and rating methods underpin the data-rich plaque USGBC is promoting for already-certified buildings, but insiders have questions.

For those who never felt that a static LEED plaque adequately captured the performance of a building in all its complexity, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has an answer: the LEED Dynamic Plaque. The flatscreen hardware, bolstered by a back end that crunches data, loads up occupancy surveys, and reports back to USGBC, is the result of years of work by USGBC staff on a tool that could engage buildings after their initial LEED certification, and orient all buildings toward measured performance.

StopWaste says there is nothing to fear about LEEDv4 and adds its completed documentation to LEEDuser’s toolkit.

Sample documentation for LEED version 4 is now available on LEEDuser from one of the first certified v4 projects. The browse by rating system and credit.

Get ready for change in LEED credit numbering.

If like a lot of LEED professionals you're used to using shorthand like MRc4 to refer to the recycled content credit, and EAc1 for energy performance, LEED v4 throws a curveball into your jargon.

The LEED AP exam itself will test project-ready proficiency—no demonstration of actual project experience will be required.

With LEED v4 having been released in November 2013, and the transition away from LEED 2009 underway, the U.S. Green Building Council has announced several key dates and requirements as it shifts LEED professional credentials to LEED v4.

Green building consultant Jerry Yudelson aims to “push the reset button” at the Green Building Initiative (GBI).

by Paula Melton

A new force will be making Green Globes go ’round.

Jerry Yudelson, P.E., a LEED Fellow and a prominent green building advocate, has joined the Green Building Initiative (GBI) as president. “It’s a new beginning,” Yudelson told LEEDuser. “We pushed the reset button.”

The LEED family of rating systems uses specific jargon—becoming familiar with these terms is a great way to gain a basic understanding of this important program.

The LEED family of rating systems uses specific terms to describe various aspects of its program. Whether you are a designer, contractor, consultant, manufacturer, educator, or owner, it is important to be clear and consistent about these terms. Becoming familiar with these terms is also a great way to gain a basic understanding of LEED.

The latest, and largest release of energy data from LEED-certified buildings shows good energy results but leaves room for improvement.

An open letter to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) on revealing more granular energy data from LEED buildings

Dear USGBC,

For the last year, as the transparency and disclosure movement has gained steam in the building products industry, we’ve heard many compelling arguments for why manufacturers should be transparent about what’s in their products. From USGBC representatives and members, we’ve heard that: