The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has introduced a draft of its LEED v5 for Operations and Maintenance (O+M) rating system for existing buildings. LEED v5 is the newest version of LEED. It marks a transformative milestone in the built environment’s alignment with a low-carbon future and addresses critical imperatives such as equity, health, ecosystems, and resilience.
The LEED rating system is the world’s preeminent green building certification system, with more than 100,000 projects certified globally. While the launch of LEED v5 begins with existing buildings, LEED v5 for Building Design and Construction (BD+C) will roll out in 2024.
In conjunction with the release of the LEED v5 O+M draft and on the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo stage, White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi announced a plan to create a new national definition of zero-emissions building. LEED v5 will align with this definition, including requirements for LEED Zero Carbon and Platinum-level projects that specify low to no operational GHG emissions, to help the industry coalesce impactful strategies.
The move aims to empower and engage the market toward zero-emission buildings and will be referenced in federal programs and state and local policies. USGBC and other organizations in the green building space will align around this national definition to send a clear market signal.
LEED v5 will also work to adopt minimum requirements on embodied carbon, moving closer to net zero buildings. USGBC is leading the conversation on embodied carbon with the Embodied Carbon Harmonization and Optimization (ECHO) Project, a coalition of industry groups working to standardize reporting of embodied carbon emissions.
“Achieving the goals outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement and fulfilling the corresponding pledges made by organizations and governments demands bold, large-scale initiatives,” said Peter Templeton, President and CEO, USGBC and GBCI. “The launch of LEED v5 underscores our unwavering commitment to our mission of fostering sustainable building practices that embrace principles of equity, health, biodiversity, and resilience. Requirements within LEED v5, coupled with the federal government’s efforts to establish the new national definition of zero-emissions building, represent a pivotal moment in the built environment’s path toward decarbonization. This alignment will reduce market friction and enable stakeholders to work together toward a common goal. Collaboration between government and industry is imperative to confront today’s challenges and shape a future that will benefit generations to come.”
Buildings are responsible for around 40 percent of global energy-related carbon emissions, with 28 percent stemming from operational emissions, which include energy needed to heat, cool, and power them.
The LEED v5 O+M draft is designed to deliver an understandable, actionable, and transformational rating system with a clear road map for progressive actions that facilitate LEED certification. The draft offers industry benchmarking and scoring to reward performance while maintaining a measured data-driven approach to certification. This will assist LEED users in anticipating and preparing for several years of building operations, encompassing legislative mandates, impending climate risks, and expected industry trends.
As part of the launch, a beta version of the LEED v5 O+M rating system will open with a select group of project teams across a diverse range of projects. The projects will provide critical feedback that will play a crucial role in refining the language and functionality of the system. The beta phase will commence in the fourth quarter of 2023. Projects interested in participating in the beta will find an expression of interest form on USGBC’s website, along with more information about LEED v5.
Source: U.S. Green Building Council
