Analyzing the Cost of Obtaining LEED Certification

The LEED program (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) represents the efforts of a coalition including the US Green Building Council (GBC) to establish a nationwide standard for constructing so-called “green” buildings. Obtaining LEED certification requires compliance with a minimum number of criteria affecting many aspects of a project, from site selection to the recycled content of building materials. Projects earn points for criteria that they fulfill; those that earn more points are awarded a higher level of certification.1 Project managers have discretion over which criteria they choose to meet in order to accumulate the necessary number of points.