Option 2, Path 5: Heat Island Effect—Roof

Tenants benefit from locating in a building that has reduced its heat island effect—through lower operating costs related to cooling the tenant space. 

You can earn an Exemplary Performance point here under Path 12 by meeting two of the three options described above. (Note that you can earn a maximum of five points under this credit, including Path 12, and that pursuing Exemplary Performance for bonus points under IDc1 is a separate process.)

If hardscape has gotten darker over time through weathering, the SRI value of the weathered hardscape must be used. However, some hardscapes can be cleaned to restore their SRI value, or close to it. 

If the SRI of certain surface materials is not known, obtain a small sample and send it to a testing lab. This generally costs a few hundred dollars. 

Sketchup is a free modeling program from Google that can help you determine the shading area for trees. (See Resources.)

To document this credit provide site plans that indicate the areas of shading, highly reflective surfaces, open-grid or pervious-hardscape areas and parking under cover.  

Find out if your site meets any of the following three options:

Thirty percent of non-building surfaces are shaded by trees; have light-colored site surfaces with an SRI of 29 or greater; or have open-grid pavement. A combination of these three strategies is also acceptable. 
Fifty percent of parking spaces are covered or underground.
At least 50% of the parking lot area has open-grid paving (at least 50% pervious).

Refer to NC SSc7.1 for detailed requirements and documentation guidance. Note, however, that the requirement for this option through LEED-CI is to meet the credit requirements for 30% of the non-building-area instead of the 50% required for NC projects. 

Option 2, Path 4: Heat Island Effect—Non-Roof