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Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
Credit Moved to Innovation Catalog
This pilot credit was closed to new registrations on 03/15/2017, however, the credit is now available in the innovation catalog on an ongoing basis and may be pursued for an innovation point without prior registration.
To encourage the use of products and materials for which life-cycle information is available and that have environmentally, economically, and socially preferable life-cycle impacts. To reward project teams for selecting products from manufacturers who have verified improved environmental life-cycle impacts.
Requirements
* This credit language is drawn from the LEED v4 draft. Where other point totals are noted, this pilot credit is worth 1 point in total. *
Option 2. Multi-attribute optimization (1 point)
Use products that comply with one of the criteria below for 50%, by cost, of the total value of permanently installed products in the project. Products will be valued as below.- Third party certified products that demonstrate impact reduction below industry average in at least three of the following categories are valued at 100% of their cost for credit achievement calculations.
- global warming potential (greenhouse gases), in CO2e;
- depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, in kg CFC-11;
- acidification of land and water sources, in moles H+ or kg SO2;
- eutrophication, in kg nitrogen or kg phosphate;
- formation of tropospheric ozone, in kg NOx, kg O3 eq, or kg ethene; and
- depletion of nonrenewable energy resources, in MJ.
- USGBC approved program -- Products that comply with other USGBC approved multi-attribute frameworks.
Structure and enclosure materials may not constitute more than 30% of the value of compliant building products. Projects with significant amounts of structural and enclosure materials may exceed the 30% limit by calculating an alternative structure and enclosure limit (See Calculations under Further Explanation).
General Pilot Documentation Requirements
Register for the pilot credit- Participate in the LEEDuser pilot credit forum
- Complete the feedback survey:
Credit specific
Provide a list of products purchased contributing toward credit and indicate the applicable label/certification. List the cost and number of items purchased per product and calculate the weighted value according to the table above.Additional questions:
- How difficult was it to locate the applicable level of labels receiving credit?
- How were you able to obtain EPD information for products? How difficult was it?
- What were the major barriers to achieving credit performance? Do you think the threshold(s) is reasonable?
- What labels would you like USGBC to consider for inclusion in this pilot credit?
- Was CEN (EN) standard 15804 available at the time you documented this credit? Was that standard applicable to your project?
Changes
- Changes as a result of 3rd Public Comment (3/1/2012): This credit replaces Pilot Credit 43: Certified Products “EPD Pathway” Deletion of Self declared LCA – while this is an admirable first step in product transparency, it does not depict leadership in the market. USGBC wishes to push the development of Product Category rules and their implementation.
- Changes as a result of 5th Public Comment (01/15/2013): Credit updated to align with Building product disclosure and optimization - environmental product declarations - Option 2
Additional questions
- Did your project use the actual or default materials cost to determine the total materials cost?
- How did your team determine or estimate the actual materials cost? What method was used?
- Where there any challenges in determining the total materials cost? What were they?
- If applicable, how would using the actual materials cost verses the default materials cost have effected credit achievement?
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 »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.
Get the inside scoop
Our editors have written a detailed analysis of nearly every LEED credit, and LEEDuser premium members get full access. We’ll tell you whether the credit is easy to accomplish or better left alone, and we provide insider tips on how to document it successfully.
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
Credit Moved to Innovation Catalog
This pilot credit was closed to new registrations on 03/15/2017, however, the credit is now available in the innovation catalog on an ongoing basis and may be pursued for an innovation point without prior registration.
To encourage the use of products and materials for which life-cycle information is available and that have environmentally, economically, and socially preferable life-cycle impacts. To reward project teams for selecting products from manufacturers who have verified improved environmental life-cycle impacts.
Requirements
* This credit language is drawn from the LEED v4 draft. Where other point totals are noted, this pilot credit is worth 1 point in total. *
Option 2. Multi-attribute optimization (1 point)
Use products that comply with one of the criteria below for 50%, by cost, of the total value of permanently installed products in the project. Products will be valued as below.- Third party certified products that demonstrate impact reduction below industry average in at least three of the following categories are valued at 100% of their cost for credit achievement calculations.
- global warming potential (greenhouse gases), in CO2e;
- depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, in kg CFC-11;
- acidification of land and water sources, in moles H+ or kg SO2;
- eutrophication, in kg nitrogen or kg phosphate;
- formation of tropospheric ozone, in kg NOx, kg O3 eq, or kg ethene; and
- depletion of nonrenewable energy resources, in MJ.
- USGBC approved program -- Products that comply with other USGBC approved multi-attribute frameworks.
Structure and enclosure materials may not constitute more than 30% of the value of compliant building products. Projects with significant amounts of structural and enclosure materials may exceed the 30% limit by calculating an alternative structure and enclosure limit (See Calculations under Further Explanation).
General Pilot Documentation Requirements
Register for the pilot credit- Participate in the LEEDuser pilot credit forum
- Complete the feedback survey:
Credit specific
Provide a list of products purchased contributing toward credit and indicate the applicable label/certification. List the cost and number of items purchased per product and calculate the weighted value according to the table above.Additional questions:
- How difficult was it to locate the applicable level of labels receiving credit?
- How were you able to obtain EPD information for products? How difficult was it?
- What were the major barriers to achieving credit performance? Do you think the threshold(s) is reasonable?
- What labels would you like USGBC to consider for inclusion in this pilot credit?
- Was CEN (EN) standard 15804 available at the time you documented this credit? Was that standard applicable to your project?
Changes
- Changes as a result of 3rd Public Comment (3/1/2012): This credit replaces Pilot Credit 43: Certified Products “EPD Pathway” Deletion of Self declared LCA – while this is an admirable first step in product transparency, it does not depict leadership in the market. USGBC wishes to push the development of Product Category rules and their implementation.
- Changes as a result of 5th Public Comment (01/15/2013): Credit updated to align with Building product disclosure and optimization - environmental product declarations - Option 2
Additional questions
- Did your project use the actual or default materials cost to determine the total materials cost?
- How did your team determine or estimate the actual materials cost? What method was used?
- Where there any challenges in determining the total materials cost? What were they?
- If applicable, how would using the actual materials cost verses the default materials cost have effected credit achievement?
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.
