LEED ZERO CERTIFICATION PROCESS,

AVAILABLE CATEGORIES & EXAMPLE

PROJECTS

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WHAT IS LEED ZERO?

LEED Zero is designed to encourage exemplary projects in the areas critical to creating a
regenerative future. Projects can complement their existing LEED certification or LEED O+M
registration with one or more of the further mentioned LEED Zero certifications. The new
designation addresses net-zero energy, water, waste, and carbon emissions while remaining
easily compatible with current LEED requirements.

LEED Zero designates leadership for the next generation of LEED projects and is available for
carbon, energy, waste, and water. Twenty certifications have been granted in the United States,
China, and Brazil, with spaces ranging from manufacturing facilities to historic offices. The
certification builds on an initial LEED certification and specifically appreciates net zero
leadership.

Verification of net zero goals remains a priority for buildings on track for net zero, as well as a
method of communicating progress to occupants, investors, and other stakeholders. The US
Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED Zero certification creates accountability, recognizes
leadership, and aids in the development of trust.

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Currently, in beta, certification is open to any project that has previously received LEED for
Building Design & Construction or LEED for Operations and Maintenance certification.

Projects that have registered to pursue O&M

certification are also eligible. The criteria for all
four zero resource designations are easy and
require 12 months of data.

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The principle behind LEED Zero is similar to the initial idea behind the LEED rating system that
drives the market to fix climate change and promote strategies that are socially and
environmentally responsible. We're seeing net-zero buildings becoming more popular on the
marketplace since LEED Zero is thought of as the next evolution.

There is a real opportunity to highlight certain projects with this type of certification and then be
able to set them as examples and inspire others to aim for higher standards of sustainable
performance. To give an example, Entegrity Energy's headquarters in Little Rock (AR) is the
world's second LEED Zero certified building and the first in the United States.

The original building designed in 1958 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in
2017 and achieved LEED Platinum certification, the previous top achievement for green
buildings. Its features include electrochromic windows that tint at the command of a Wi-Fi signal,
high-control HVAC systems, and all-LED lighting.

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LEED Zero certifications can be especially beneficial for large existing building portfolios
seeking to incorporate the next wave of green building certifications into their sustainability
initiatives.

Strategic portfolio-wide assessments of LEED Zero certification viability based on current EUI,
onsite renewables potential, utility rates, carbon reduction goals, and other factors, for example,
could assist organizations in determining where, when, and how to implement LEED Zero
projects that sustain their overarching sustainability objectives.

An integrated design approach is an effective strategy for large, complex new builds and major
renovations pursuing LEED Zero, and the USGBC encourages it. Setting clear goals early in the
pre-design phase, with broad stakeholder input, and running multiple energy/water model
iterations of different design options can assist projects in identifying and implementing the best
design faster and at a lower overall cost (i.e. an improved envelope can reduce the need for a
larger HVAC system).

WHY LEED ZERO BUILDINGS?

Here are a few great reasons why to pursue LEE Zero desisgnation.

Tax Incentives

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There are available tax breaks and incentives available to those who choose to build a LEED
Zero building. Because most governments encourage buildings invested in innovative
technologies to reduce the use of resources.

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Energy Bills

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Saving money on energy bills is one of the most significant advantages that many people
discover when they build LEED Zero Energy homes. The benefit of building a LEED Zero
Energy is most visible in this benefit because it is a long-term solution that never stops giving
back to the property owner.

Higher Resale Value

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The market will gravitate toward trends, and as LEED Zero Energy buildings gain popularity, so
will their resale value. People are aware that they will save money on energy bills indefinitely
and thus want to invest in a LEED Zero Energy property.

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Minimizing Ecological Footprint

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Building a LEED Zero building benefits your finances, but the real winner is the environment.
Because LEED Zero buildings don’t contribute greenhouse gas emissions as their conventional
counterparts. This allows building owners to sleep better and may even qualify their homes for
various eco-conscious building design awards offered by their city, state, or country.

Comfortable Living Space

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People who live in LEED Zero buildings have said the same thing. The living quality is unrivaled.
This is most likely due to the effort they put into considering their home, its layout and location,
as well as the indoor air quality, stable temperatures, and isolation from outside noise.

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Furthermore, people who choose to build LEED Zero buildings are involved in many decisions
that go into the construction of their home, making them extremely knowledgeable, proud, and
fully aware of every detail in the home. This knowledge gives them a greater sense of security
and allows them to feel truly at home in their LEED Zero building.

Live in a Low Maintenance Building

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All building owners must consider maintenance on a more frequent basis than they would like.
Building maintenance takes a lot of time and can end up costing a lot of money to keep it fully
functional as it is built for the first time. In order to achieve a building that wouldn’t require much
maintenance, building owners and developers must plan ahead of time. They need to use best
construction practices as well as high quality, durable materials.

But it is easier to say than it is done without having a clear roadmap. LEED Zero becomes very
important right at this point. Because it provides the right guidance for the building projects to
follow. LEED Zero buildings don’t require as much maintenance as their conventional
counterparts. Because they are built using the best construction practices set by industry
leading standards and construction techniques.

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PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

[Content on pages 7 and 8 is the proprietary property and owned by US Green Building
Council - © USGBC 2021. The original source is "LEED Zero Program Guide | US Green
Building Council - ©USGBC 2021." https://www.usgbc.org/resources/leed-zero-program-
guide.]

Projects must be LEED certified under the BD+C or O+M rating systems, or registered to
pursue LEED O+M certification. For projects pursuing LEED Zero Carbon, LEED Zero Energy,
and LEED Zero Water certification:

1. Provide 12 months of performance data required for the desired certification to GBCI through
LEED Online.

2. When the project achieves a carbon-dioxide equivalent (CO2E) balance of zero, a source
energy use balance of zero, and/or a potable water use balance of zero, the team submits for
GBCI review.

Projects pursuing the LEED Zero Waste certification submit their TRUE Zero Waste Platinum
certification for GBCI review.

LEED Zero Carbon Certification

To obtain LEED Zero Carbon certification, a project must achieve a carbon-dioxide equivalent
(CO2E) balance of zero for the past year:

Carbon Balance = Total Carbon Emitted - Total Carbon Avoided

Carbon Emitted is calculated from delivered energy and occupant transportation. Carbon
Avoided includes on-site renewable energy generated and exported to the grid, off-site
renewable energy procurement, and the purchase of carbon offsets.

Renewable energy generated and used on site reduces the amount of energy delivered.
Environmental benefits of all renewable energy generation or procurement must be retained by
the project.

Projects must be LEED certified under the BD+C or O+M rating systems, or registered to
pursue LEED O+M certification. For projects pursuing LEED Zero Carbon, LEED Zero Energy,
and LEED Zero Water certification:

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LEED Zero Energy Certification

To obtain LEED Zero Energy certification, a project must achieve a source energy use
balance of zero for the past year. The net zero energy balance is based on the quantity of
source energy delivered and the quantity of renewable energy that displaces non-renewable
energy on the grid. Renewable energy generated and used on site reduces the amount of
energy delivered.

Source Energy Balance = (Total Source Energy Delivered) – (Total Non-Renewable Source
Energy Displaced)

To calculate source energy delivered to the project, use the national average ENERGY STAR
Source-Site Ratios for each building energy source from the Energy Star Portfolio Manager
Technical Reference: Source Energy for projects in the U.S. and Canada.International projects
may use the U.S. source-to-site ratios or published source-to-site ratios for the country or multi-
country region where the project is located. Use the same source energy conversion factors for
calculating energy delivered and non-renewable energy displaced. Environmental benefits of all
renewable energy generation or procurement must be retained by the project.

LEED Zero Waste Certification

To achieve LEED Zero Waste certification, a project must first obtain GBCI's TRUE Zero Waste
certification at the Platinum level. The TRUE Zero Waste program mandates projects to have a
zero waste strategy in place, achieve an average of 90% or greater total diversion from landfill,
incineration (waste-to-energy), and the environment for solid, non-hazardous wastes in the
previous 12 months, and meet five other minimum program criteria.

LEED Zero Water Certification

LEED Zero Water has a similar structure, with on-site and off-site alternative water sources that
can be used to offset water use. Onsite water sources must either reuse water onsite (for
example, captured rainwater or AHU condensate) or commit that it will return to the local aquifer
(i.e. such as with constructed wetlands or bioswales). Another way to offset onsite consumption
is to obtain treated and recycled offsite water (for example, reclaimed water supplied from a
municipality).
LEED Zero Water Certification recognizes buildings that achieve a potable water use balance of
zero for the past year. Water balance is calculated by subtracting the sum of total alternative
water used and water used to the original source from total potable water consumed.

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LEED ZERO PROJECT EXAMPLES

ENTEGRITY ENERGY'S HEADQUARTERS IN LITTLE ROCK (AR) | LEED ZERO ENERGY

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Entegrity's decision to buy and renovate Little Rock's historic Darragh House, which was built in
1959, became a showcase for the team's expertise. The project, which was completed in
January 2017, serves as a model for others since it earned the desirable LEED Zero Energy
certification from the US Green Building Council.
In addition to the rooftop solar array, energy modeling was used to develop energy-saving
strategies to bring the building to net zero. Other features include electrochromic glazing with
the ability to tint on demand through electronic controls and smartphone devices; LED lighting
with color-changing and dimming capability that replaced the old fluorescent and incandescent
lighting systems; and a lighting improvement that has resulted in a 90 percent reduction in
lighting energy.

High-efficiency heat pump HVAC systems have been installed in place of traditional heating and
cooling systems. The duct system has been re-insulated and sealed to reduce heat loss.

The old gas-powered hot water heater was replaced with a hybrid heat pump water heater,
which is three to four times more efficient than traditional electric resistance water heaters.
Furthermore, a 50 kW roof solar photovoltaic system will offset 100 percent of the facility's
already low energy load.

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DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN ALEXANDRI A, VIRGINIA | LEED ZERO ENERGY

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The design of Discovery Elementary, the first LEED Zero Energy school, did result in a yearly
utility cost savings of $117,000 when compared to a conventional elementary school of the
same size in the same school district.

The structure is also running more efficiently than expected, with an actual energy use intensity
(EUI) of 15.8 kBtus per square foot a year. Since 2017, Discovery Elementary has generated
more energy than it has consumed, sending a yearly surplus of 100,000 kWh back to the grid
sufficiently to power 7.5 average Virginia homes for the whole year.

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HANERGY RENEWABLE ENERGY CENTER IN BEIJING, MAINLAND CHINA | LEED ZERO CARBON

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In Beijing Olympic Forest Park, the Hanergy Clean Energy Exhibition Center is the world's first
modern exhibition hall with "the sun as the main line and the theme of clean energy."

Building-integrated photovoltaics design is used on the exterior, incorporating thin-film solar

power generation modules into the building's curtain walls and roofs. The exhibition center is
equipped with an intelligent microgrid management system (developed independently by
Hanergy) that allows it to manage and operate its own power generation, consumption, storage,
and sales while also supporting energy connectivity and sharing with the Hanergy headquarters.

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PEOPLE AGAINST DIRTY IN CHICAGO, ILLINOI S | LEED ZERO WASTE

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The People Against Dirty factory in Chicago became the first LEED Zero Waste project in the
world after earning TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) Zero Waste Platinum certification
in addition to LEED Platinum certification. When the factory was built, one of its goals was to
send zero waste to landfill, which meant that everything that came in would be used in products,
recycled, or composted.

PLASMETAL IN PARANÁ, BRAZIL | LEED ZERO ENERGY

Plasmetal is an industrial facility in Londrina, Brazil. The solutions put in place allow the factory
to generate 100% of the energy it requires to run. The energy generated and consumed is
controlled by a direct frequency inverter measurement every 15 minutes. In addition, data is
made available on the internet for remote monitoring and prediction of potential failures. The
LEED Platinum-certified plant also saves 64% on water.

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COLGATE-PALMOLIVE BURLINGTON SITE | BURLINGTON, NEW JERSEY

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The Colgate-Palmolive plant in Burlington, New Jersey, is the world's first to be certified as
LEED Zero in all four categories: carbon, energy, water, and waste.

Over a 12-month period, they demonstrated net zero carbon emissions from energy
consumption and occupant transportation that was either avoided or offset, a source energy use
balance of zero, and a potable water use balance of zero. They also had to obtain TRUE Zero
Waste certification at the Platinum level. This is all on top of their LEED Silver certification.

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PETINELLI CURITIBA IN CURITIBA, BRAZIL | LEED ZERO ENERGY

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The Brazilian engineering and green building consulting firm Petinelli's Curitiba headquarters
was the world's first project to achieve LEED Zero certification in any category. In September
2018, the 440-square-meter office building in Curitiba was certified under LEED v4 for
Operations and Maintenance, and in December 2018, it received LEED Zero Energy
certification.

All energy is generated on-site at this 25-person office, with an energy use volume for the site of
only 25 kilowatt hours per square meter annually. A 15-kilowatt photovoltaic array provides
approximately 125% percent of the energy required to run the office.

LADWP JOHN FERRARO B UILDING IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORN IA | LEED ZERO ENERG Y

The John Ferraro Building of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)
houses the customer service and other major operations departments, as well as the
headquarters for one-third of LADWP's 11,000 employees. The 17-story, all-electric structure
was completed in 1965.

In 2013, a suite of energy efficiency measures was considered, resulting in an aggressive

energy-efficiency effort that included lighting retrofits, chiller upgrades, and fan system
upgrades, earning the building its first LEED certification in 2015. The building was recertified
the following year and received Gold-level certification.

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REFERENCES
[1] https://www.usgbc.org/resources/leed-zero-program-guide

[2] https://www.usgbc.org/articles/first-10-leed-zero-projects

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