LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an internationally recognized voluntary green building certification system, first created in 1999, designed to help building professionals and owners improve the performance and sustainability of their buildings while reducing their impact on the environment. In the United States, buildings transform land use; consume one-third of our total energy, two-thirds of our electricity, and one-eighth of our water supply, so their impact on the environment is significant. The growing trend towards “smarter,” sustainable building design and operation makes environmental and economic sense, and more and more building professionals are using the LEED guidelines to make that happen.

LEED provides independent, market-driven rating systems and third-party verification in nine building categories to help builders, owners, and operators identify, quantify, and implement practical, financially viable, and measurable green building designs, materials, and operating systems to reduce energy usage and costs, improve efficiency and user comfort levels, and reduce waste and water usage throughout the building life cycle.

Within each building category, there are four different certification levels: LEED certified, LEED Silver, LEED Gold, and LEED Platinum. These are awarded based on a 100 credit and point system based on performance in these key areas: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, Locations and Linkages, Awareness and Education, Innovation in Design, and Regional Priority. The key areas were updated as part of the overall LEED Version 3 launch in April of 2009 to reflect technological advancements and energy trends, regional energy priorities, a new building certification model, as well as an upgrade to the LEED online program.

A common misconception is that it costs too much to obtain LEED certification, and the ROI may not make economic sense. However, as the number of green buildings has grown, along with new and improved green technologies, materials, and trained professionals, taking a holistic environmental approach at the beginning of the project using the LEED guidelines may be one of the best long-term investments you can make.

An accredited LEED consultant can help guide you through every step from design, to choosing the right materials, through operational, maintenance, and asset planning. An integrated, high performance, and sustainable design incorporates energy and water saving measures, operational efficiencies, integrated information technology, asset management, and indoor and outdoor environmental quality measures intended to improve employee comfort and productivity.

Using LEED guidelines to design, build, or retrofit your building makes more sense than ever. Eagle Technology offers facility management and maintenance solutions, services, and support to address preventive maintenance and enterprise asset management (EAM) needs in many industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, automotive, food processing, hospitality, government, education, pharmaceutical, and retail.

Proteus, one of the most widely used facility management software solutions on the market, offers key benefits for your green initiatives:

  • Informed management decisions
  • Improved tenant satisfaction
  • Lower operating costs (utilities)
  • Reduced downtime
  • Controlled maintenance expenses
  • Increased asset life
  • Improved overall productivity

Our trained professionals and support team have extensive knowledge in the areas of CMMS and sustainability to help you through LEED implementation and operation. For help with energy audits, HVAC, energy management, smart metering, or LEED project planning and certification, contact us today. 1-800-338-3268.

LEED