What Categeories Can Your Place Of Business Be LEED Certified In?
Posted on: 24 June 2015
Getting your business LEED certified is a great marketing angle for your company, as well as a way to help the environment and to protect the health of your employees. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The certification was designed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). Both the building that your business is conducted in and your employees, can be LEED certified and credentialed, respectively.
Many LEED certified businesses are built from the ground up, but don't worry if your place of business already exists and/or is housed in an older building. There are several steps that you need to take to get your business ready for LEED certification. The following is a step-by-step guide on what each area and level of LEEDS certification means. This can help you to prepare the building and the surrounding property around your business before you begin the LEED application process.
There are four different main areas that an already existing building can become LEED certified in: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, and Indoor Environmental Quality. Your business can be certified at different levels for each of these areas. The levels of certification are Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.
Areas that your business can be LEED certified in:
Sustainable Sites
LEED sustainable sites focus on the environment surrounding the building and how the local ecosystem can be sustained through proper planning. A sustainable LEED site will work within the regional ecosystems and promote local biodiversity in the natural space around a building. The soil surrounding your property may also need to be tested for contaminants such as lead and mercury.
Water Efficiency
LEED water efficiency looks at how your site utilizes fresh water. It analyzes where your water is transported from and if you are taking any measures to use alternative water sources that have been recycled, such as rainwater, for things such as watering plants or washing cars, rather than using potable water.
Energy and Atmosphere
LEED energy and atmosphere focuses on reducing your building's overall energy consumption and also the use of alternative and renewable sources of energy. Measures to reduce the use of electricity such as sophisticated heating and cooling systems help with your certification. Also, any energy that your company can self-generate such as solar power panels or installing gym equipment that puts power back into the grid when utilized will also count. LEED certification in this category also relies on the use of building materials appropriate for the climate that your building is located in.
Indoor Environmental Quality
LEED certification for indoor environmental quality relies on the aesthetics of the visual environment. This involves lighting, the temperature of the work environment, and the noise level in the building. This certification is designed with the comfort of employees in mind.
Your business can be certified in any of these categories or all of them. For more information about environmental analysis, contact a professional like Neilson Research Corporation.
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