LEEDuser’s viewpoint
Frank advice from LEED experts
LEED is changing all the time, and every project is unique. Even seasoned professionals can miss a critical detail and lose a credit or even a prerequisite at the last minute. Our expert advice guides our LEEDuser Premium members and saves you valuable time.
Credit language
Requirements
Engage in a contract for qualified resources that have come online since January 1, 2005, for a minimum of five years, to be delivered at least annually. The contract must specify the provision of at least 50% or 100% of the project’s energy from green power, carbon offsets, or renewable energy certificates (RECs).
Green power and RECs must be Green-e Energy certified or the equivalent. [Europe ACP: Green Power] [South America ACP: Green Power] RECs can only be used to mitigate the effects of Scope 2, electricity use.
Carbon offsets may be used to mitigate Scope 1 or Scope 2 emissions on a metric ton of carbon dioxide–equivalent basis and must be Green-e Climate certified, or the equivalent.
For U.S. projects, the offsets must be from greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects within the U.S.
Determine the percentage of green power or offsets based on the quantity of energy consumed, not the cost. Points are awarded according to Table 1.
Table 1. Points for energy from green power or carbon offsets
Percentage of total energy addressed by green power, RECs and/or offsets |
Points |
50% |
1 |
100% |
2 |
Use the project’s annual energy consumption, calculated in EA Prerequisite Minimum Energy Performance, if Option 1 was pursued; otherwise use the U.S. Department of Energy’s Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (
CBECS) database to estimate energy use.
Alternative Compliance Paths (ACPs)
Europe ACP: Green-e Energy Equivalent
Projects in Europe may use the following approved standards in place of
Green-e Energy:
- EKOenergy
- Guarantees of Origin (GOs) with additional parameters
South America ACP: Green-e Energy Equivalent
Projects in South America may use the Brazilian “Certificado de Energia Renovável” (Renewable Energy Certificate) with additional parameters in place of
Green-e Energy.
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What does it cost?
Cost estimates for this credit
On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.
Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.
This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.
Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »
Frequently asked questions
Do onsite renewables count?
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The owner has purchased RECs for a percentage of energy use of its whole portfolio of buildings, or whole campus. Can we earn this credit for a single LEED building with this purchase?
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The owner purchased RECs / carbon offsets based on an earlier prediction, but our energy model is now showing that we are just a little short of the credit threshold. What should we do?
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We will have cogeneration onsite. Do the credit requirements apply to all electricity used onsite, or only that which is purchased from the grid?
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My project is not located in the U.S. Should I still use the emissions factors from the Energy Star program listed in the Reference Guide, or find something closer to home?
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My project is located in the U.S. Can I buy green power or offsets from another part of the world?
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Can I still earn this credit through green power or RECs alone?
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Addenda
4/21/2023 – Updated: 4/21/2023
Rating System Correction
Description of change: For BD+C/ID+C Green Power and Carbon Offsets Credit:
In the first sentence under Requirements, delete "that have come online since January 1, 2005..." At the end of that paragraph, add the following sentence: "Resources must have come online within fifteen years of contract or purchase date."
For O+M Renewable Energy and Carbon Offsets Credit:
In the second bullet point under the Establishment section of Requirements, replace "Resources must have come online after January 1, 2005" with: "Resources must have come online within fifteen years of contract or purchase date."
Internationally Applicable: Yes
10/1/2014 – Updated: 3/29/2018
Regional ACP
Description of change: Add the following after the first paragraph in the Requirements section:
“Projects in South America may use the Brazilian “Certificado de Energia Renovável” (Renewable Energy Certificate) with additional parameters in place of
Green-e Energy.”
**Updated on 4/1/2015 to include applicability to LEED v4
Internationally Applicable: Yes
10/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Form Update
Description of change: Modified emissions factors underlying calculations in Table: Annual non-electric energy consumption, as per updates to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager's default emissions factors.
Internationally Applicable: Yes
10/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change: Remove Scope 1 and Scope 2 Emissions from Further Explanation;
Replace the definition of
Scope 1 emissions with the following: "
Scope 1 emissions direct greenhouse gas emissions from sources owned or controlled by the entity, such as emissions from fossil fuels burned on site. Electricity produced on site through the burning of fossil fuels is measured by the
Scope 1 emissions associated with that fossil fuel."
Replace the definition of
Scope 2 emissions with the following: "
Scope 2 emissions indirect greenhouse gas emissions associated with the generation of purchased electricity, heating/cooling, or steam off site, through a utility provider for the entity’s consumption. Transmission and distribution losses related to hot water, chilled water, and steam are included in
Scope 2 emissions, but transmission and distribution losses associated with electricity are not included."
Internationally Applicable: Yes
10/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change: In BD+C delete Table 3 and Table 4
In ID+C delete Table 2 and Table 3
In O+M delete Table 1 and Table 2
Internationally Applicable: Yes
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Documentation toolkit
The motherlode of cheat sheets
LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.
