The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has officially launched LEED v5, the latest version of its flagship LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building certification program.
The USGBC released the first draft of the highly anticipated update in late 2023. In 2024, the group held two public comment periods, receiving more than 7,000 comments from LEED users worldwide that informed the final version of the rating system. USGBC members ratified LEED v5 earlier this year, providing a final endorsement of the new rating system. LEED v5 registration is now available for new construction, interior, and existing commercial building projects.
“Since its public launch 25 years ago, LEED has profoundly impacted millions of people in cities and communities around the world,” said Peter Templeton, president and CEO of the USGBC. “LEED v5 raises the bar, further defining and evolving best practices and giving stakeholders across the building industry clear pathways to address today’s challenges to our health, climate, and communities.”
Impact Areas
According to the USGBC, the newest version of the LEED standard was developed with input from thousands of green building professionals to respond to today’s most pressing challenges and the significant opportunities at the intersection of sustainability and buildings. LEED v5 focuses on impact areas that touch decarbonization, human and ecological health, and resilience. The new version further defines what it means to be a high-performance building today, creating even greater investment potential.
Decarbonization accounts for half of all points for LEED v5 certification to confront current climate needs. The new rating system provides clear, actionable steps to deliver ultra-low-carbon buildings by targeting emissions reductions across all aspects of the building life cycle, including operations, embodied carbon, refrigerants, and transportation. All LEED v5 projects will complete an operational carbon projection and will be given tools to craft a comprehensive, long-term decarbonization strategy, creating pathways for sustainable transformation.
Quality of life credits focus on human-centric strategies that address the health and well-being of occupants and the communities in which buildings are located. Global demand for healthier and greener spaces has grown in recent years, with occupants increasingly demanding more transparency and accountability around sustainability and health in the built environment.
Resilience is another major theme across the rating system, addressing both human and natural systems to strengthen communities. All LEED v5 projects will complete climate resilience assessments to enhance awareness of hazards, increase transparency of risks, reduce vulnerabilities, and ensure long-term safety and sustainability. These assessments equip projects to conserve and restore ecosystems, mitigate risks, and minimize business disruptions while protecting asset value—contributing to economic prosperity and safety across communities. Once projects conduct their assessments, LEED v5 offers a variety of strategies that can be incorporated at every stage of the building life cycle to reduce risk and enhance resilience.
Potential ROI
According to the USGBC, LEED-certified assets are proven to drive return on investment and greater future earning potential. Studies have found that LEED buildings achieve a 21.4% higher average market sales price per square foot over non-LEED buildings; average 11% higher rent rates; attract more favorable and stable financing options; and reduce water, energy, and waste by more than 20%. These environments also result in healthier and more productive employees and occupants.
“For more than two decades, LEED has played a critical role in transforming the real estate sector at a global scale by bridging the gap between sustainability and commercial value,” said Anica Landreneau, senior principal and director of sustainability at architecture firm HOK. “It has empowered organizations to develop high-performance buildings that significantly reduce environmental impacts and provide healthier, more resilient spaces for occupants, while also supporting the achievement of business goals.”
Learn more about LEED v5 on the USGBC’s website here.