USGBC Announces all LEED Certified Green Buildings Eligible for LEED Recertification

Chicago, Illinois (November 15, 2018)—The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced that it will begin offering Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) recertification for all LEED-certified projects. To be eligible for certification, projects must submit 12 months of data demonstrating continued or improved performance. Once recertified, projects will meet the standards of the newest version of the LEED rating system available. This recertification will be valid for three years.

USGBC set in place a structure to fully move toward the ongoing, performance-based certification and monitoring model when LEED 2009 was introduced several years ago. Now, recertification will be available to all occupied and in-use projects that have previously achieved certification under LEED. This will allow them to fully quantify their investments and contributions in making this planet a better place.

“The decision to introduce recertification was designed to provide project teams with a tool to monitor their performance data, prove that their buildings are performing as intended and achieve even higher levels of performance,” said Melissa Baker, senior vice president for technical core at USGBC. “LEED recertification will allow all LEED building owners to continue to demonstrate leadership long after the projects are constructed, certified and occupied.”

When LEED was introduced in 2000, it was a universally agreed upon holistic system of metrics for reducing energy, water, waste and promoting human health and wellness. Today, LEED has evolved into the most widely used green building program in the world. It has become an international symbol of green building leadership and sustainability excellence. People know that if they are in a LEED-certified building, they are using less energy and water, avoiding waste, saving on maintenance costs, improving indoor air quality, offering comfort to their occupants, and creating less environmental burden on their community while increasing economic prosperity. They also know that they are in a building that enhances health and wellness.

For more information on LEED recertification, visit usgbc.org.