LEED
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a guideline and rating system for developing high performance sustainable โgreenโ buildings.
LEED was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a non-profit organization with more than 7,500 member organizations across the country, dedicated to the goal of transforming the building marketplace to sustainability. The USGBC was founded in 1993 to address the growing need to create buildings that are environmentally responsible and profitable, as well as healthy places to live and work.
LEED is the gold standard rating system in the building industry. Certification is based on a system of points. The building project must earn sufficient points covering aspects from material selection to indoor air quality to energy efficiency. This is where GeoExchange systems are an ideal fit. GeoExchange technology provides up to 20 points towards LEED certification. This is a significant percentage of the amount of points needed to achieve project totals.
Energy & Atmosphere: 17 Possible Points
Prereq 1: Fundamental Commissioning of the Building Energy Systems โ Required
Prereq 2: Minimum Energy Performance – Required
Prereq 3: Fundamental Refrigerant Management – Required
Credit 1: Optimize Energy Performance 1-10 points
Credit 2: On-Site Renewable Energy 1-3 points
Credit 3: Enhanced Commissioning 1 point
Credit 4: Enhanced Refrigerant Management 1 point
Credit 5: Measurement & Verification 1 point
Credit 6: Green Power 1 point
Indoor Environmental Quality: 3 possible points related to
Geothermal Heating & Cooling Systems
Credit 6.2 Controllability of Systems โ Thermal Comfort 1 point
Credit 7.1 Thermal Comfort โ Design 1 point
Credit 7.2 Thermal Comfort โ Verification 1 point
20 Possible LEED points from Geothermal Heating & Cooling Systems
Project totals:
Certified 26-32
Silver 33-38
Gold 39-51
Platinum 52-69