LEED At A Glance

The following document is based on information available in 2010. Please note that this information is subject to change based on decisions made by the USGBC and GBCI. Check for updates at http://www.usgbc.org/ and http://www.gbci.org/.

What is LEED?

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings' performance. LEED is administered by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). For more information on LEED visit http://www.usgbc.org/.

What is the USGBC?

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit organization committed to expanding sustainable building practices. USGBC is composed of more than 15,000 organizations from across the building industry that are working to advance structures that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work. USGBC members include building owners and end-users, real estate developers, facility managers, architects, designers, engineers, general contractors, subcontractors, product and building system manufacturers, government agencies, and nonprofits.

How does LEED work?

In the LEED rating systems, buildings receive points for satisfying green building requirements in six categories:

  • Sustainable Sites

  • Energy & Atmosphere

  • Water Efficiency 

  • Materials & Resources

  • Indoor Environmental Quality

  • Innovation & Design

Categories may vary depending on the specific subset of LEED rating system being used.

The number of points earned determines the level of the LEED certification: buildings may be LEED Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum.

There are also different LEED rating systems for different types of building projects:

  • Building Design and Construction (old New Construction): 2009 LEED BD&C

  • Interior Design and Construction (old Commercial Interiors): 2009 LEED ID&C 

  • Operations and Maintenance (old Existing Buildings): 2009 LEED O&M 

  • Residential Design and Construction (HOMES): 2009 LEED for HOMES

  • Homes (LEED for Homes)

  • Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND)  

  • Market Sector Applications (schools, retail, healthcare, labs & campuses)

What is LEED 2009?

In 2009, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) launched LEED Version 3 (LEED v3), the aggregate of three major changes to LEED: the LEED Green Building Rating System, the LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) Credential, and LEED Online.

The updated rating system, now called LEED 2009, includes realignment across rating systems, a predictable development cycle, reweighting of credits based on impact, and regional priority credits. The LEED AP exam now consists of two parts. The first is the Green Associate exam which demonstrates general green building knowledge. The second is a Specialty Exam based on one of the specific LEED rating systems. These specialties include Operations + Maintenance (O+M), Building Design + Construction (BD+C), Interior Design + Construction (ID+C), Homes (H), and Neighborhood Development (ND). And according to USGBC, "the new version of LEED Online is designed to be faster, smarter, and a better user experience." For more information regarding these changes in project certification and professional accreditation, consult our LEED Fact Sheets.


For more information:

Click here for more information on the LEED 2009 Rating System.

Click here for more information on becoming a LEED AP.

Click here for more information on preparing for the LEED AP exam.

Click here for more information on maintaining your LEED AP credential.

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