Your building must achieve an Energy Star score of at least 75 in order to meet this prerequisite and be eligible for LEED certification. This is a big change from LEED 2009, where the minimum score was 69. This update makes LEED v4 more difficult to pursue.

Teams should assess this prerequisite thoroughly before jumping into the LEED certification process. It’s also a good idea to get the official Energy Star label for your building during the performance period to help streamline the LEED review. 

If your building isn’t eligible for Energy Star, expect to spend extra time sorting out the appropriate benchmarking path, and in some cases tracking down energy consumption from other comparable buildings.

What’s New in LEED v4

• The minimum Energy Star score has been raised to 75.

Readiness Review Questions

• Is the project building eligible to receive an Energy Star rating using Portfolio Manager? If not, which of the other compliance paths is best suited for your building?
• Are all sources of energy serving the project building, including that consumed by district energy systems, metered? Is consumption data available for intervals no longer than 65 days? 

• Do you have at least 12 consecutive months of metering data for all types of energy used in the building?
• What opportunities are there for improving energy performance through operational changes identified by an ASHRAE Level I Walkthrough Audit? What opportunities exist for improving energy performance through equipment upgrades?
• Is comprehensive commissioning likely to uncover significant energy savings opportunities?