Comment Here! LEED v4 Energy Stringency Update

Come spring, USGBC will ballot updates to Optimize Energy Performance and Minimum Energy Performance in v4 BD+C and ID+C. Now is your chance to offer feedback on the draft language.
by P.J. Melton

NOTE: We closed comments on this post because the public comment period ended January 13, 2023.

Public comment drafts of the Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite and Optimize Energy Performance credit under v4 BD+C and ID+C are now available on the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) website. The Annual Energy Use credit under BD+C Homes: Multifamily Midrise is also included.

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LEED O+M v5 Will Target Poor Performers, Not Just Overachievers

The shift in existing building decarbonization under LEED v5 could be a complete 180 from what happened in v4.
by P.J. Melton

I’m just home from Greenbuild 2022 in San Francisco. I’ve never felt such a palpable sense of urgency—some might say rising panic—at Greenbuild regarding the scale of the challenges before us as an industry when it comes to decarbonization, social justice, and climate adaptation.

LEED v5 is out to make up for lost time (oh, so much lost time) in that regard, and nowhere is that more evident than in changes taking shape for existing buildings.

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LEED and WELL Dual Certification Will Be Streamlined

The same third-party certifier, GBCI, already reviews LEED and WELL submittals. So why isn’t dual certification more streamlined? The governing orgs tacitly answer that question with an update.
by P.J. Melton

Everyone loves a crosswalk. It can help you get safely across tricky territory. But sometimes you have to ask … why is this territory so tricky in the first place?

I’m not actually talking about pedestrians navigating busy roadways right now, even though that’s a topic I’m passionate about. I’m talking about competing certifications, codes, and other frameworks that never seem to fit quite neatly together—a situation that can force hard choices, add totally unnecessary costs, and jeopardize achievement of green building targets.

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For LEED v5, These Are the 6 Things to Know

USGBC is moving forward on next phase of LEED, with a public comment draft expected next year. Where will it take us on equity, resilience, and more?
by P.J. Melton

LEED v5 development is ramping up, and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is going to need your help to make it happen.

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Harder v4 Energy Requirements to Be Balloted in Spring

USGBC is planning stringency boosts for Minimum Energy Performance and Optimize Energy Performance under LEED v4 BD+C and ID+C—and it’s different this time.
by P.J. Melton

“LEED projects have a very long tail,” said a U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) official, explaining why the organization will be introducing greater stringency for energy performance prerequisites and credits under LEED v4.

In other words, new construction projects registering today likely won’t get built for a long time and will continue to “exist for many years” after the current version of the rating system has closed. That’s according to Corey Enck, vice president for LEED technical development, who was speaking at a Greenbuild San Francisco session on the future of LEED.

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