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Ben Stanley
WSP - Built Ecology
Senior Sustainability Manager
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Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To encourage and recognize increasing levels of on and off-site renewable energy to reduce environmental and economic impacts associated with fossil fuel energy use.
Requirements
During the performance period, meet some or all of the building’s total energy use with on-site or off-site renewable energy systems. Points are earned according to the following table, which shows the percentages of building energy use met by renewable energy during the performance period.
Off-site renewable energy sources are defined by the Center for Resource Solutions Green-e Energy program’s products certification requirements, or the equivalent. Green power may be procured from a Green-e Energy-certified power marketer or a Green-e Energy-accredited utility program, or through Green-e Energy-certified tradable renewable energy certificates (RECs) or the equivalent [Europe ACP: Green-e Energy Equivalent] [India ACP: Green-e Energy Equivalent]. For on-site renewable energy that is claimed for LEED 2009 for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance credit, the associated environmental attributes must be retained or retired and cannot be sold.
If the green power is not Green-e Energy certified, equivalence must exist for both major Green-e Energy program criteria: 1) current green power performance standards, and 2) independent, third-party verification that those standards are being met by the green power supplier over time.
Up to the 6-point limit, any combinations of individual actions are awarded the sum of the points allocated to those individual actions. For example, 1 point would be awarded for implementing 3% of on-site renewable energy, and 3 additional points would be awarded for meeting 50% of the building’s energy load with renewable power or certificates during the performance period. Projects must submit proof of a contract to purchase RECs for a minimum of 2 years and must also make a commitment to purchase RECs on an ongoing basis beyond that.
| On-site renewable energy |
Off-site renewable energy certificates |
Points | |
| 3% | or | 25% | 1 |
| 4.5% | or |
37.5% |
2 |
|
6% |
or | 50% | 3 |
| 7.5% | or | 62.5% |
4 |
| 9% |
or |
75% | 5 |
| 12% | or | 100% | 6 |
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
LEED EBOM 2009 reference guide supplement with Europe ACPs
India ACP: Green-e Energy Equivalent
Projects in India may use the Indian Central Electricity Regulatory Commission REC program with additional parameters in place of Green-e Energy.
See all forum discussions about this credit »
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Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »Frequently asked questions
We’d like to wait to pursue the option for off-site renewable energy until after the results of the preliminary review. Is it ok to pursue this credit after the preliminary review is complete or as an appeal should we need additional points?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
What time period do purchased RECs and offsets need to cover? Do we need to cover the performance period plus an additional two years after that?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
We are purchasing green power through the local utility but it is not able to provide or sign a two-year contract because of restrictions applied to the utility. Can we still meet the credit requirements with our current purchased green power covering the performance period and then a memo indicating our commitment to continue purchasing green power for the rest of the two-year term?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To encourage and recognize increasing levels of on and off-site renewable energy to reduce environmental and economic impacts associated with fossil fuel energy use.
Requirements
During the performance period, meet some or all of the building’s total energy use with on-site or off-site renewable energy systems. Points are earned according to the following table, which shows the percentages of building energy use met by renewable energy during the performance period.
Off-site renewable energy sources are defined by the Center for Resource Solutions Green-e Energy program’s products certification requirements, or the equivalent. Green power may be procured from a Green-e Energy-certified power marketer or a Green-e Energy-accredited utility program, or through Green-e Energy-certified tradable renewable energy certificates (RECs) or the equivalent [Europe ACP: Green-e Energy Equivalent] [India ACP: Green-e Energy Equivalent]. For on-site renewable energy that is claimed for LEED 2009 for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance credit, the associated environmental attributes must be retained or retired and cannot be sold.
If the green power is not Green-e Energy certified, equivalence must exist for both major Green-e Energy program criteria: 1) current green power performance standards, and 2) independent, third-party verification that those standards are being met by the green power supplier over time.
Up to the 6-point limit, any combinations of individual actions are awarded the sum of the points allocated to those individual actions. For example, 1 point would be awarded for implementing 3% of on-site renewable energy, and 3 additional points would be awarded for meeting 50% of the building’s energy load with renewable power or certificates during the performance period. Projects must submit proof of a contract to purchase RECs for a minimum of 2 years and must also make a commitment to purchase RECs on an ongoing basis beyond that.
| On-site renewable energy |
Off-site renewable energy certificates |
Points | |
| 3% | or | 25% | 1 |
| 4.5% | or |
37.5% |
2 |
|
6% |
or | 50% | 3 |
| 7.5% | or | 62.5% |
4 |
| 9% |
or |
75% | 5 |
| 12% | or | 100% | 6 |
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
LEED EBOM 2009 reference guide supplement with Europe ACPs
India ACP: Green-e Energy Equivalent
Projects in India may use the Indian Central Electricity Regulatory Commission REC program with additional parameters in place of Green-e Energy.
XX%
Upgrade to LEEDuser Premium to see how many projects achieved this credit. Try it free »
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In the end, LEED is all about documentation. LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit, for premium members only, saves you time and helps you avoid mistakes with:
- Calculators to help assess credit compliance.
- Tracking spreadsheets for materials purchases.
- Spreadsheets and forms to give to subs and other team members.
- Guidance documents on arcane LEED issues.
- Sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions.
- Examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects.
We’d like to wait to pursue the option for off-site renewable energy until after the results of the preliminary review. Is it ok to pursue this credit after the preliminary review is complete or as an appeal should we need additional points?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
What time period do purchased RECs and offsets need to cover? Do we need to cover the performance period plus an additional two years after that?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
We are purchasing green power through the local utility but it is not able to provide or sign a two-year contract because of restrictions applied to the utility. Can we still meet the credit requirements with our current purchased green power covering the performance period and then a memo indicating our commitment to continue purchasing green power for the rest of the two-year term?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
LEEDuser expert
Ben Stanley
WSP - Built Ecology
Senior Sustainability Manager