LEED certification is a recognition that a construction project or building can attain by utilizing environmentally friendly building practices during construction or remodelling.
LEED is the acronym that stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is the Green Building Rating System developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. The model was developed in 1998 to encourage environmental awareness amongst government agencies, architects, engineers, developers, and builders.
LEED certification can be attained on four different levels, which are determined by a credit, or point, system. The levels of LEED certification are Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. A building or project can attain LEED certification by submitting an application that documents compliance with the requirements set for in the LEED rating system. The Green Building Council issues LEED certification upon satisfactory application, review and compliance verification. There are fees associated with LEED certification.
Along with the selection of materials, making the building energy efficient is also important to the task of green building design. Often this means finding ways to maximize the use of natural lighting, the installation of power sources such as solar panels or wind energy generation devices, and the purchase of energy efficient appliances to minimize the use of energy from any source.
The efficient use of water for showers, toilets and even for washing clothes and doing dishes is usually addressed. Even details such as the selection of colours for the home may come into play as a means of enhancing the green aspects of the energy saving measures.
Several rating systems for sustainable buildings have been applied in India (LEED which has now been adopted as one of the national rating System for the Performance of Green Buildings). Proposals for supporting these systems with financial incentives exist, and in some cases states consider to adopt such systems as by-laws.
LED Lighting for LEED Green Building Certification
LED lights offer numerous environmental benefits over other types of lighting for today's environmentally-conscious facilities and for buildings working toward LEED certification:
- Longer life ratings for less waste for landfills
- Daylight harvesting capabilities with solar power
- Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHs) compliant
- No mercury or lead is used in the product