Are you planning to earn LEED certification for your project, but are not sure what rating system to use? The LEED rating systems address new buildings, renovations and existing buildings, and they include adaptations for specific project types. Here’s a quick guide to some of our best resources to help you select the one that’s right for your project.

To start, use the rating system selection guidance appropriate for the version of LEED you plan to pursue. The two versions of LEED available for registration are LEED v4 and LEED v4.1.

The rating system selection guidance for LEED v4 and LEED v4.1 are very similar, except for the instances below:

Residential

LEED v4

In LEED v4, residential projects were part of the LEED for Building Design and Construction (BD+C) rating system, and options included LEED BD+C: 首页s (single family), Multifamily Lowrise (up to three conditioned stories above grade) and Multifamily Midrise (four or more stories). Projects using LEED v4 that are four stories or more can also use LEED BD+C: New Construction.

Buildings with four to five stories can use LEED 首页s Multifamily Lowrise if they have 80% in-unit space, or if they are required to use Energy Star for 首页s by a funding or incentive program.

Additionally, LEED v4 addresses existing multifamily projects.

LEED v4.1

In LEED v4.1, LEED for Residential Design and Construction is a separate rating system that pulls the most relevant language from the LEED BD+C and all residential-focused rating systems and merges it with the priorities of the residential market. Project space types are divided into LEED for Residential: Single Family, LEED for Residential: Multifamily and LEED for Residential: Multifamily Core and Shell.

Additionally, newly constructed residential LEED v4.1 projects must use the residential rating system and may not use LEED BD+C. Existing multifamily projects may continue to use LEED for Operations and Maintenance (O+M) in LEED v4.1.

LEED v4.1 Residential BD+C Multifamily 首页s and Multifamily 首页s Core and Shell are now available for registration in LEED Online for all countries except the United States and Canada. Projects in the United States and Canada can continue to use the LEED v4 rating systems available to residential projects and substitute credits from LEED v4.1 Residential.

Existing buildings

LEED v4

LEED O+M in LEED v4 includes specialized guidance and requirements for Retail, Schools, Hospitality, Data Centers, Warehouses and Distribution Centers, Multifamily and Existing Buildings (essentially, everything else).

LEED v4.1

In LEED v4.1, there are two major differences. The multiple LEED v4 whole building space types have been streamlined into one category, LEED v4.1: Existing Buildings. New guidance has been added to address LEED O+M: Existing Interiors.

Neighborhood Development and Cities and Communities

While LEED v4 includes a rating system for Neighborhood Development, LEED v4.1 does not.

LEED v4.1 includes a rating system for Cities and Communities, but LEED v4 does not. The version that these projects used prior to the launch of LEED v4.1 was a pilot.

General guidelines

Often, a project will have a combination of space types. In those cases, we look to the 60/40 rule that helps people select the one rating system that’s most applicable. To use the rule, assign a rating system to each square foot or square meter of the building. Next, choose the most appropriate rating system based on the resulting percentages. Remember, the entire gross floor area of a LEED project must be certified under a single rating system and is subject to all prerequisites and attempted credits in that rating system, regardless of mixed construction or space usage type.

For example:

If a rating system is appropriate for less than 40% of the gross floor area of a LEED project building or space, then that rating system should not be used.
If a rating system is appropriate for more than 60% of the gross floor area of a LEED project building or space, then that rating system should be used.
If an appropriate rating system falls between 40% and 60% of the gross floor area, project teams must independently assess their situation and decide which rating system is most applicable.

Selecting the right rating system matters because it can have a lot of impact on how well your project does. The rating systems are structured to offer support in areas where certain project types struggle with more general requirements. It’s an important step in the process.

When in doubt, please reach out. The LEED Technical Customer Service team has members who specialize in this. While it’s best that you contact us early in the process, we can still help even if you have started documenting credits and found yourself stuck when requirements or strategies aren’t applicable because of your space type. Reach out to Technical Customer Service.

Contact USGBC for additional support

如何选择合适的LEED评级体系