What Is LEED-Certified Building & How to Earn LEED Certification

When you choose to certify your building with LEED®, you're choosing to build a healthier and more sustainable future. LEED projects prioritize more efficient, low impact building design and construction, over traditional construction practices, in an effort to reduce material waste, reuse materials where possible, and incorporate resources used. Beyond taking greater environmental responsibility, owners of LEED-certified buildings also benefit from tremendous energy- and cost-saving opportunities.

What exactly does it mean to be LEED-certified, and how do you achieve it? Keep reading to learn what a LEED-certified building is and how to get a LEED-certified building project underway for new or existing properties.

What is a LEED-certified Building?

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the world's leading green building rating system. LEED provides a framework for developing healthy, efficient, carbon- and cost-saving buildings that correspond with varying levels of LEED certification.

A building is LEED-certified once it has achieved a certain number of credits—which then earn points—by implementing green building practices that address carbon, energy, water usage, waste, transportation, materials, and health and indoor environmental quality, according to the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The more points a building earns, the higher it climbs on the LEED certification scale.

Certified: 40-49 points
Silver: 50-59 points<
Gold: 60-79 points<
Platinum: 80+ points

Whether you're looking to make a commercial building more energy efficient, improve indoor air quality in a healthcare facility, lower the operating costs of a retail space, or develop a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, LEED has virtually limitless applications across nearly every building goal. Today, millions of people already live, work, and learn in LEED-certified buildings.

Benefits of LEED certification

Being LEED-certified signifies your building is built or maintained to the highest standard of sustainability and comes with numerous benefits to building owners, occupants, and the surrounding environment. Here are just a few of the many economic, environmental, and health benefits generated by LEED buildings, according to data gathered by the USGBC:

Significant energy, water, maintenance, and waste savings
Lower CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions
Reduction in waste sent to landfills
Water conservation and recapture
Reduced indoor and outdoor air pollution
Higher employee recruitment, retention, and productivity rates
Improved leasing rates
More equitable community development

"One of the big things that building owners tell me about when it comes to the benefits of LEED certification is the increased leasing rate that LEED-certified buildings command."

-Robert Anderson, Regional Account Manager

The steps you take to achieve LEED certification depend on the building project you're undertaking. Are you looking to enhance the operations and maintenance of an existing building or bring sustainable practices to the design and construction of a new building? We've broken down several pre-application considerations to help you prepare for the certification process, followed by four simple steps to getting your building LEED-certified.

Whether constructing a new building or retrofitting an existing one, there are many ways to earn credits toward LEED certification. Team members can customize the types of green building improvements best suited for the building project in question, such as using green building materials, vegetated roofs, water recapture systems, energy-efficient windows, and much more. Elevate™ has decades of experience providing eco-conscious building solutions that meet and exceed LEED certification requirements, such as our ISOGARD polyiso roofing insulation that achieves up to 40% better thermal performance than competing ISO products.*

*Performed up to 40% better in cold temperature 40°F (4°C) applications according to ASTM C1289 standards than major competitors when tested by an independent third party in September 2022.

Preparing for the LEED Certification Process

Before starting the certification process for your building project, you and your team will need to make several decisions regarding your intended building rating and credits. Additionally, you will need to understand the minimum project requirements, upcoming deadlines, and applicable fees. Here is a breakdown of key items to consider before beginning the final certification process (applicable to both new and existing buildings under LEED v4.1):

Determine the rating system for your project. The rating system you select will depend on the building project in question. Typically, projects fall into three main categories: new construction or major renovation projects (BD+C), complete interior fit-out projects (ID+C), and existing buildings undergoing improvements in operation and maintenance (O+M). Use USGBC's rating system selection guide for a complete overview of your options.
Check the project requirements. Regardless of your rating system, all LEED v4.1 buildings must comply with these three minimum project requirements to become certified:

Must be in a permanent location on existing land

Must use reasonable LEED boundaries

Must comply with project size requirements

Earn credits. Teams earn points toward LEED certification by fulfilling credits. The LEED credit library provides a complete list of project options so you can customize your approach to earning points.
Check deadlines. Not all LEED rating systems follow the same deadlines. Visit this page to know whether your desired rating system is open or closed for registration or certification.
Assess fees. Understand the fees associated with registering and certifying your particular project.
Establish team roles. Though your project team may consist of several people, there are generally three roles that can be assigned in the certification process:

Owner: The person or entity who controls the project property and ultimately accepts the certification agreement.

Agent: A person or entity granted authority by the owner to register the project and accept the certification.

Project Administrator: One or more people responsible for overseeing project tasks, credits, prerequisites, and the people tasked with completing them. Also assesses the quality and accuracy of the LEED application before submission.

4 Steps to Achieve LEED Certification

Once your team is in place with the appropriate rating system and credits chosen, you're ready to begin the LEED certification process as follows:

1. Register. Registration indicates your intent to pursue LEED certification. Complete the required forms and submit payment via the LEED Online platform.

2. Apply. Your application showcases your team's target LEED credits and their implementation. At this stage, team members collect nformation, perform calculations, analyze data, and prepare documentation that demonstrates you have achieved your selected prerequisites and credits. Once all documentation is ready, submit the application and pay the certification fee.

3. Review. Once submitted, your application is reviewed by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), an independent third party responsible for verifying completed project requirements. Your project will face a preliminary review followed by an optional final review if revisions or supplementary information is necessary.

4. Certify. Upon completion of the review, your team can either accept the results and confirm your LEED certification or appeal the judgment to contest decisions on certain credits. Your final certification report will indicate the level of LEED certification you have achieved (Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum).

Earn LEED Credits with Elevate's Sustainable Building Solutions

At Elevate, we are committed to sustainability with roofing and building solutions that meet and exceed requirements for an eco-conscious building. Contact your local Elevate Sales Representative or contractor for more information about increasing your LEED credits through roofing or insulation.