USGBC’s LEED Zero program provides a path for buildings to distinguish themselves with a net-zero impact for carbon, energy, water, and/or waste. To pursue any of the LEED Zero certifications, a building must already be certified under LEED for Building Design and Construction (BD+C), LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (O+M), or be registered for LEED O+M. So, although it’s a stand-alone program, LEED Zero actually acts more like a complement or extra credential to your building’s standard LEED certification. For buildings with a BD+C certification, LEED Zero presents an alternative to LEED O+M for demonstrating a continued commitment to sustainability in operations.
Here are a few of the basics to keep in mind.
LEEDuser expert
Ben Stanley
WSP - Built Ecology
Senior Sustainability Manager
Comments
My issue with this LEED Zero
Bill Swanson
Sr. Electrical EngineerFeyen Zylstra
LEEDuser Expert
715 thumbs up
April 3, 2019 - 8:54 am
My issue with this LEED Zero Energy program is the same with the original CaGBC version. Any Existing building can rubber stamp and claim "Zero Energy".
- New buildings have to achieve LEED certification. Existing buildings just have to register for LEED O+M.
- There is no minimum standard of energy reduction. This should require significant energy reductions. To qualify for this standard a building should be down near 30 EUI.
- This allows normal wasteful construction, but they just write a check for renewable energy credits for 12 months. An adder of about 10% on the energy bill.