Status Report on LEED 2009

by Rick Fedrizzi, President and CEO, USGBC

The second public comment period for LEED 2009 closed on September 2, with almost 7,000 comments being offered. This once again signals that USGBC's membership and the many stakeholders in green building are deeply engaged in this important work. The LEED Technical Advisory Groups reviewed comments and incorporated changes that improve LEED as a tool.

With that work complete, the TAGs passed the rating system to the LEED Steering Committee. Pending its approval it is expected that LEED 2009 will go to member ballot during the week of October 13. This will mark the culmination of two years of exceptional work by thousands of people who have been single-minded in their intent to make sure LEED's next evolution resets the bar for how we certify higher performance in buildings.

There are several key changes you'll see in this final version; among them:

� Increased Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite requirements; update to ASHRAE 90.1-2007 for energy requirements; and other energy efficiency enhancements, including increased incentive for On-Site Renewable Energy

� Language that addresses mixed use projects

� More options for Low-Emitting & Fuel-Efficient Vehicles

� A new Water Use Reduction prerequisite and increased incentive for Water Use Reduction

� Expanded options for Heat Island Effect-Non Roof materials

� Inclusion of requirements for non-carpet flooring

� Inclusion of permanent monitoring system for thermal comfort verification

� Alignment and clarification of Daylight and Views requirements

Regionalization of LEED credits beginning in 2009 will include incentives through extra points awarded to credits identified as priorities within a project's given environmental zone. And credit alignment provides harmonization across rating systems. In addition, LEED 2009 incorporates eight years worth of market and user feedback, in the form of precedent-setting Credit Interpretation Rulings, which will ensure clarity for project teams.

Perhaps most importantly, LEED has undergone a dramatic and scientifically grounded weightings exercise that allocates points to credits based on the importance of the environmental benefit realized by achievement of the credit requirements. This process fundamentally changes the way project teams will prioritize LEED credits but continues to leverage the existing industry knowledge on how to accomplish these credits.

Several other changes that are not part of the balloting process will accompany the adoption of the new rating system.

The organizational structure now being used to manage LEED makes many of the credits congruent across all rating systems. As such, it is no longer always necessary to pilot entire rating systems going forward. However, the pilot process has been a crucially important way that we make rating systems better by using the pilot process to gather more information, consider the impacts of ideas as they are used in the field, and in general inform our work in a more complete way.

So, the LSC is considering a new pilot credit process to allow us to put credits to the test in the field before bringing them fully into the rating system. The exact process is still being worked out by LSC, but the intent is to be able to gather additional information about a credit through "field-testing" before embedding it into a rating system. It also means a rating system or substantial changes to one can go forward in the review process even while additional issues are being investigated, allowing us to be more responsive to the marketplace.

As a process change, this does not require balloting but it's the kind of significant change we want to alert our members to because it directly relates to keeping a free flow of ideas always going forward so we can more quickly adopt that which will improve the rating system and encourage higher building performance.

Speaking of ideas, a wealth of them have come out of the public comments, and as we engage our new planned development cycle, many of these ideas will be part of the work we will do for LEED 2011, a process that's already underway.

As for LEED 2009, please look for an email alerting you to the opening of the ballot for vote. Primary contacts of USGBC member organizations will have 30 days to vote. In order to pass, LEED 2009 needs to reach a quorum of 10 percent of USGBC members and two-thirds affirmative votes.

And don't forget to mark your calendar for Greenbuild, Nov. 19-21, where we'll be giving you a lot more information about this and all the many programs and initiatives that your involvement and support make possible.