This credit offers talented, motivated project teams a chance to demonstrate leadership in the green building industry by presenting new and creative solutions to sustainable operations and maintenance. 

Three paths to four possible points

Teams can earn up to four points under this credit. There are three standard paths to earning an IO point: 

1. Innovation in Operations—Deliver an environmental benefit not currently addressed in the existing LEED rating system. 
2. Exemplary Performance—Exceed LEED performance thresholds in existing credits, typically by doubling the requirements or by achieving the next logical increment.
3. Pilot Credit—Test-drive a credit from the official LEED Pilot Credit library.

Keep in mind that while you can earn up to four points through a combination of the above approaches, you can earn no more than three of those points through the exemplary performance approach. (All four points may come through the innovation or pilot approaches, however.)

Exemplary performance is well within reach

It’s fairly common for projects to earn one or two points through exemplary performance based on existing building operations practices and conditions—and there are many low- and no-cost options for achieving exemplary performance. 

True innovation is more challenging

With moderate additional efforts, many teams can achieve all four of the available IO points, but it can be quite difficult to achieve points for true innovation through Option 1.

You must develop and implement a strategy that is not already covered by the rating system but meets the rigorous standards of the existing credits—and it must have a significant and demonstrable environmental benefit. Be prepared to make a very convincing case for the merits of your proposed innovation points. If your strategy will be expensive to implement, it’s wise to use a CIR to establish whether LEED considers your strategy valid before going ahead with an expensive development and implementation process.

Consider these questions when approaching this credit

• Can your project achieve double the credit requirements, or the next incremental percentage threshold, for any existing LEED credit?
• Is your project undertaking any sustainable operational strategies that provide an environmental benefit not already addressed by existing LEED credits? 
• What makes your project special? Are there opportunities to deliver an environmental benefit uniquely suited to your specific climate, region, building type, or project team? 

Path 1: Guidelines for successful proposals for Innovation in Operations

Successful Strategies

Developing an innovation strategy under Option 1 of this credit is similar to developing a new LEED credit, though the process need not be as comprehensive as the LEED credit development process.

• Include significant environmental benefits and standards equivalent to other LEED credits.
• Clearly identify (and preferably, quantify) the environmental benefits of your proposed approach.
• Ensure that the environmental benefit delivered is not covered by established LEED credits. For example, certain process water uses such as consumption in a commercial kitchen are not dealt with by any existing LEED credits. This presents a good opportunity for a quantifiable improvement that is not already rewarded within LEED.
• Be comprehensive, thorough, and effective.
• Highlight actions or new standards that can be applied to other buildings.
• Be willing to involve your team in extraordinary effort.
• Strive to integrate best practices across technical categories.
• Define, execute, and document your initiative.

Actions to Avoid

• Don’t include strategies that contribute to or are already addressed in existing LEED-EBOM credits. For example, installing a cutting-edge, ultra-high-efficiency chiller is not an appropriate candidate for an IO credit, because the resulting energy savings are already captured by EAc1: Optimize Energy Performance. Innovation credits under Option 1 must provide environmental benefits not otherwise addressed in EBOM. 
• Don’t include strategies considered standard best practices for building operations and maintenance.
• Don’t try to get “extra credit” for small-scale efforts. Marginal environmental benefit is not the goal, meaningful benefit is. For example, hosting a single electronic-waste collection for occupants is a lot less meaningful than hosting multiple events or creating an ongoing program. 
• Don’t apply for credit based on one element of an overarching strategy, or apply for multiple points based on only one strategy. No more than one IO point will be awarded for any single strategy. For example, projects often try to subdivide their educational or outreach efforts into multiple points. Even if these are functionally distinct programs, you won’t earn more than one point for education-related strategies. 

Path 2: Exemplary Performance

LEEDuser’s guide to earning IOc2 through Path 2, for Exemplary Performance, has its own page. Check it out here.

Path 3: Pilot Credit

LEEDuser offers pilot credit guidance and forums for innovative project teams who are pursuing the pilot credits.

The pilot credit library is more focused on design and construction rating systems compared with LEED-EBOM. A number of credits are currently available to EBOM teams.