Projects that already meet the credit requirements are best suited for this credit, as it may be costly and time consuming to make the modifications necessary to earn it. The credit assesses the project’s entire site paving area and entire roof area, to encourage teams to consider the site as a whole. This is a change from v4, which offered individual compliance paths for nonroof, roof, and parking under cover.

Questions to consider

If you answer at least one of the following questions with a “yes,” then it’s worth investigating this credit further.

Non-roof areas

• Is site paving covered with architectural devices or other structures with a compliant SR value? Or is paving covered by vegetation, vegetated structures, or energy generation systems?
• Do you have compliant high-reflectance paving? Has regular cleaning been conducted to maintain the SR value? Can cleaning be arranged in the future?
• Do you have open-grid paving?

Roof areas

• Are the existing roofing materials credit compliant? Can you track down the SRI value from the manufacturer? Has regular roof cleaning been conducted to maintain the SRI value? Can cleaning be arranged in the future?
• If the roof is not SRI compliant, when is it due for replacement? Could the roof be replaced with credit-compliant roofing before or during the performance period?
• Do you currently have vegetated roof area? Is a green roof a viable alternative? Can it be supported structurally? Is the climate conducive to supporting a vegetated roof with drought-resistant planting, without permanent irrigation? Have other buildings in this area successfully used green roofs?

Don’t forget maintenance

Teams must implement an annual maintenance program to help ensure that the areas contributing to credit compliance continue to perform optimally. For high-reflectance surfaces, this means completing cleaning activities to maintain good reflectance. For vegetated areas, this means addressing plant health and ensuring vegetated structures and roofs maintain good structural condition.

What’s New in LEED v4.1

• This credit is worth one point rather than up to two points.
• Having parking spaces located under cover no longer contributes to credit achievement.
• For any newly installed green roof spaces, full vegetative cover must be achieved within three years.
• The maintenance program for surfaces stipulates annual cleaning (rather than every three years).

Should I upgrade?

 When choosing between rating systems, be aware that the under-cover parking option has been removed from v4.1. And if you were eligible to earn two points under v4 Option 3, consider that you’re only eligible for one point under v4.1.