LEED v3 Explained

This page is about the LEED v3 building certification process. If you are interested in the LEED v3 professional credential process, please visit the
LEED Credential Process page.

LEED v3 is the latest iteration of the LEED green building certification system. Launched on April 27, 2009, LEED v3 builds on the fundamental structure and familiarity of the existing rating system but provides a new structure for ensuring the rating system incorporates new technology and addresses the most urgent priorities like energy use and CO2 emissions.

What are the biggest advancements?

LEED v3 consists of three components:

• LEED 2009: technical advancements to the LEED Green Building Rating Systems' credits and points
• LEED Online: an upgrade to LEED Online that is faster and easier to use, featuring new help options
• New building certification model: an expanded certification infrastructure based on ISO standards, administered by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) for improved capacity, speed and performance

Which LEED Rating Systems have changed?

The new version of the LEED Rating System - LEED 2009 - will incorporate the existing commercial and institutional building rating systems: New Construction, Core and Shell, Commercial Interiors, Schools, and Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance.  

Have the LEED Reference Guides Changed?

Yes. The reference guides have been consolidated into three books that address buildings by type and phase:

Green Building Design & Construction, for the rating systems that address new buildings and major renovations; Green Interior Design & Construction, for the rating systems that address interior spaces; and Green Building Operations & Maintenance, for the rating systems that address the operations and maintenance of existing buildings.

The new reference guides are now available for purchase from the USGBC Website. E-book reference guides are available for $140 and hard-copy guides are $150 for USGBC members.  

What notable new technical advancements are in the new LEED 2009 Rating System?

• LEED Prerequisite/Credit Alignment and Harmonization
• Transparent Environmental/Human Impact Credit Weighting
• Regionalization

LEED Prerequisite/Credit Alignment and Harmonization
The LEED credits and prerequisites have been consolidated, aligned, and updated to reflect their "most effective common denominator," providing a consistent pool of prerequisites and credits across the commercial and institutional LEED Rating Systems. A scrub of the existing Credit Interpretation Rulings (CIRs) was conducted and necessary precedent-setting and clarifying language has been incorporated into the prerequisites/credits.

Transparent Environmental/Human Impact Credit Weighting
With revised credit weightings, LEED now awards more points for strategies that will have greater positive impacts on what matters most - energy efficiency and CO2 reductions. Each credit was evaluated against a list of 13 environmental impact categories, including climate change, indoor environmental quality, resource depletion and water intake, among many others. The impact categories were prioritized through the consensus of subject matter experts across the building and environmental sciences, and credits were assigned a value based on how they contributed to mitigating each impact. The result revealed each credit's contribution to the big picture, giving the most value to credits that have the highest potential for making the biggest change - which means the credits with the greatest impact on priority issues earn more points towards a LEED rating.

Regionalization
Through USGBC's regional councils, chapters and affiliates, regionally specific environmental priorities were identified. Depending on a project's specific location, six LEED credits that address regionally prioritized environmental issues have been assigned "bonus points." That means that a project can be awarded up to four extra points - one point each - for up to four of the priority credits.

What if I am currently working on a LEED project?

LEED projects registered under previous versions of the rating system can be "upgraded" to LEED 2009, or they can continue using the version of LEED under which they originally registered. Only projects registered under a LEED 2009 rating system will have access to the new version of LEED Online.

When will LEED v3 LEED for Retail and LEED for Healthcare launch?

LEED for Retail, which is currently in pilot, and LEED for Healthcare, which is currently under development, will be aligned with LEED 2009 rating systems under LEED Building Design & Construction.

When will LEED v3 LEED for Neighborhood Development launch?

LEED for Neighborhood Development will launch in early 2010.  The new LEED Online platform will be used for credit submittals and a stand-alone reference guide will be released. LEED for Neighborhood Development's Rating System will be separate from the LEED 2009 Rating System but will include transparent credit weighting and regionalization.

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