USGBC Announces Updates to LEED v4 to Better Address Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change
Proposed updates to the LEED v4 green building certification program have been made to more directly address greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.
According to the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED v4 initially focused on reducing energy demand through usage and efficiency. Meanwhile, LEED v4.1 introduced energy metrics on cost and greenhouse gas emissions, a first for LEED. Together, both LEED v4 and LEED v4.1 take on the evolving needs of the market and build on previous versions of the LEED rating system.
With the change, LEED for Building Design and Construction (BD+C) and LEED for Interior Design and Construction (ID+C) projects will be able to demonstrate improvement in energy performance with metrics allowed in either LEED v4 (source energy) or LEED v4.1 (energy cost or greenhouse gas emissions).