LEEDuser’s viewpoint
Explore this LEED credit
Post your questions on this credit in the forum, and click on the credit language tab to review to the LEED requirements.
Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Design and install windows, skylights, and glass doors whose ratings from the National Fenestration Rating Council exceed the requirements in the ENERGY STAR for Homes, version 3, prescriptive pathway, as shown in Tables 1–3. Use the average window ratings, average skylight ratings, and average exterior door ratings. Determine the window-to-floor-area (WFA) ratio by calculating the total window area in the above-grade conditioned floor area. All skylight window areas count toward the WFA ratio. For decorative glass, the project team may exclude up to 0.75% of the WFA ratio from the calculations. If the WFA ratio is 15% or more, the following additional requirements apply:
- In climate zones 4–8, homes with a WFA ratio of 15% or more must meet a more stringent U-factor requirement: U-factor = (0.15 / WFA) * (U-factor from Table 1)
- In climate zones 1–3, homes with a WFA ratio of 15% or more must meet a more stringent solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) requirement: SHGC = (0.15 / WFA) * (SHGC from Table 1)
Table 1. Points for exceeding baseline window ratings
|
Climate zone |
Points |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1, 2 |
3 |
4 |
5–8 |
||
U-factor |
≤ 0.45 |
≤ 0.30 |
≤ 0.26 |
≤ 0.26 |
1.5 |
≤ 0.25 |
≤ 0.25 |
≤ 0.40 |
Any |
||
U-factor |
≤ 0.30 |
≤ 0.26 |
≤ 0.22 |
≤ 0.22 |
3 |
≤ 0.25 |
≤ 0.25 |
≤ 0.40 |
Any |
||
Table 2. Points for exceeding baseline skylight ratings
|
Climate zone |
Points |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1, 2 |
3 |
4 |
5–8 |
||
|
|||||
U-factor |
≤ 0.70 |
≤ 0.57 |
≤ 0.47 |
≤ 0.47 |
1.5 |
≤ 0.25 |
≤ 0.25 |
≤ 0.40 |
Any |
||
U-factor |
≤ 0.47 |
≤ 0.47 |
≤ 0.40 |
≤ 0.40 |
3 |
≤ 0.25 |
≤ 0.25 |
≤ 0.40 |
Any |
||
Table 3. Points for exceeding baseline door ratings
|
Opaque |
≤ 1/2 lite |
> 1/2 lite |
|---|---|---|---|
U-factor |
0.21 |
0.27 |
0.32 |
N/A |
0.30 |
0.30 |
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
See all forum discussions about this credit »Addenda
Can projects use the NFRC's Component Modeling Approach methodology for verifying performance specifications for windows in the energy model or EA credit Windows? CMAST is a software tool created by NFRC for custom commercial windows.
Fenestration used to satisfy LEED for Homes prerequisites and credits must meet the following condition: 1) the installed fenestration components correspond to approved components listed within the NFRC Component Modeling Approach Software Tool (“CMAST”) library; 2) the CMAST project developed for each home has been generated by an ACE (Approved Calculation Entity) Organization; and 3) the fenestration products for the home are included in a Project Label Certificate that has been approved and certified by an Independent Certification and Inspection Agency (“IA”) licensed by NFRC.
Custom fenestration modeled using CMAST or LBL's WINDOW and THERM software - but not certified by NFRC - may be used for no more than 10% of the total window area in the home. This window area still must meet the performance requirements in LEED for Homes.
Updated ruling on 8/15/17 for rating system version applicability.
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.
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Design and install windows, skylights, and glass doors whose ratings from the National Fenestration Rating Council exceed the requirements in the ENERGY STAR for Homes, version 3, prescriptive pathway, as shown in Tables 1–3. Use the average window ratings, average skylight ratings, and average exterior door ratings. Determine the window-to-floor-area (WFA) ratio by calculating the total window area in the above-grade conditioned floor area. All skylight window areas count toward the WFA ratio. For decorative glass, the project team may exclude up to 0.75% of the WFA ratio from the calculations. If the WFA ratio is 15% or more, the following additional requirements apply:
- In climate zones 4–8, homes with a WFA ratio of 15% or more must meet a more stringent U-factor requirement: U-factor = (0.15 / WFA) * (U-factor from Table 1)
- In climate zones 1–3, homes with a WFA ratio of 15% or more must meet a more stringent solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) requirement: SHGC = (0.15 / WFA) * (SHGC from Table 1)
Table 1. Points for exceeding baseline window ratings
|
Climate zone |
Points |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1, 2 |
3 |
4 |
5–8 |
||
U-factor |
≤ 0.45 |
≤ 0.30 |
≤ 0.26 |
≤ 0.26 |
1.5 |
≤ 0.25 |
≤ 0.25 |
≤ 0.40 |
Any |
||
U-factor |
≤ 0.30 |
≤ 0.26 |
≤ 0.22 |
≤ 0.22 |
3 |
≤ 0.25 |
≤ 0.25 |
≤ 0.40 |
Any |
||
Table 2. Points for exceeding baseline skylight ratings
|
Climate zone |
Points |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1, 2 |
3 |
4 |
5–8 |
||
|
|||||
U-factor |
≤ 0.70 |
≤ 0.57 |
≤ 0.47 |
≤ 0.47 |
1.5 |
≤ 0.25 |
≤ 0.25 |
≤ 0.40 |
Any |
||
U-factor |
≤ 0.47 |
≤ 0.47 |
≤ 0.40 |
≤ 0.40 |
3 |
≤ 0.25 |
≤ 0.25 |
≤ 0.40 |
Any |
||
Table 3. Points for exceeding baseline door ratings
|
Opaque |
≤ 1/2 lite |
> 1/2 lite |
|---|---|---|---|
U-factor |
0.21 |
0.27 |
0.32 |
N/A |
0.30 |
0.30 |
