LEED Volume

Attention Advanced Users of LEED:

Our LEED Volume program may save you hundreds, thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in USGBC fees!  How can we say that, you ask?  Because we have done exactly that for some of our clients including Paramount Group, and SL Green, New York’s largest owner of commercial real estate.
LEED Volume, LEED Volume buildings, LEED Volume building collage with testimonial on top, LEED EB Volume, LEED Volume Program

What is LEED Volume?

Technically called a “LEED Volume Prototype”, LEED Volume was created by the USGBC to certify more buildings more efficiently.  To elaborate, the USGBC defines a “prototype” as “the conceptual framework that represents a group of projects that have either major design and construction elements in common or a standard set of strategies, quality control measures and tools, along with similar management procedures.”
So how does LEED Volume work? Think of your local Starbucks. You may not know, but many of Starbucks’ locations are LEED certified. Also, many of them look very similar.  This is because a lot of them are built from the same or very similar plans.  Since Starbucks has great sustainability initiatives and is an advanced user of LEED, they decided to create a LEED Volume prototype of their own which the USGBC “pre-certified”.  Their LEED Volume program allows them to group and submit LEED certifications together because they have the same (or very similar) design, materials, sustainability features, quality control practices, etc. shared between different locations.  This greatly reduces the amount of documentation needed (because their processes are already pre-certified), and therefore, it saves the GBCI (third-party LEED verifiers) time and resources because they have less documentation to review.  In return, the USGBC offers benefits which include discounts on their certification fees; however, there are fees and a lot of work required of the “pre-certification” process.

Benefits of LEED Volume

There are numerous benefits of LEED Volume.  For this reason, and because we, SIG, are one of the only consultants in the world to have our own LEED Volume Prototype, we would like to highlight the benefits of our proprietary LEED Volume Prototype.  Our LEED Volume can be applied to a wide range of our client’s existing buildings because it is a LEED EB (LEED for Existing Buildings) Volume Prototype.  The best part is that we have already incurred the cost of the “pre-certification” fees; so, our clients can reap the rewards of LEED Volume without the need or high costs associated with creating their own.  Benefits of SIG’s LEED Volume include, but are not limited to:

  • Discounted LEED Submittal Fees
    • ONLY through SIG’s LEED Volume Program
    • The larger the building the larger the savings
  • Reduced LEED Certification Schedule
    • Projects earn certification in as soon as one (1) week after submittal
  • Streamlined LEED Documentation for Seamless LEED Recertification
    • SIG team stays engaged and provides the Management Team with tracking tools for recertification
  • SIG’s LEED Volume Documentation is Already Pre-Approved by the GBCI
    • SIG has direct one-on-one contact with the LEED reviewers
  • Prolonged access to LEED v3 2009 Rating System
    • LEED v3 2009 registration expired October 31st, 2016
    • SIG can register new projects under LEED v3 2009 until October 31st, 2019

This last benefit is a big one because it is the only way a newly registering LEED project can utilize LEED v3, and under LEED v3 (as compared to LEED v4) most of the time we can help our clients get higher levels of LEED certification (ie LEED Platinum and LEED Gold).  This is because LEED v4 is more stringent than LEED v3.

LEED Volume Process

With any LEED project, SIG proactively manages the certification process. We pride ourselves on eliminating work from our clients’ on-site management teams.
SIG’s LEED Volume Prototype remains consistent with the LEED certification program, offering 110 possible points through seven (7) credit categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, Innovation in Design, and Regional Priority.  The point allocation does not reflect the nine (9) prerequisites associated with minimum program requirements.

LEED Volume Schedule

Most LEED EB projects take on average between ten to fifteen (10-15) months to complete (start to finish), but with our LEED Volume program we usually do it in only seven (7) months!

How do YOU save thousands of dollars on your LEED certifications?

Easy. Simply drop us a line through our contact us page.

LEED Volume for New Construction

If you are interested in utilizing LEED Volume for your new developments, we can help you create your own LEED Volume Prototype. We are not only familiar with the process of creating a LEED Volume prototype, we have also work with other clients (like Hines) to utilize their LEED Volume Prototypes.  Of course, creating your own program requires a lot of work and is very expensive; so, creating your own LEED Volume Prototype would only be recommended if you have more than about 20 buildings of similar size and utility that will be earning LEED certifications.  Other options that you may be interested in pursuing might include a LEED Campus or Group approach.  In order to take advantage of a LEED Campus or Group certification, the buildings must be on the same site. Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions we can answer. Contact Asa Posner at: asa@sigearth.com

For more information about our services, or if you would like to schedule a LEED Exam Prep Class, please contact Asa Posner

Sustainable Investment Group (SIG) Atlanta Headquarters 1155 Mt Vernon Highway NE Suite 800 Atlanta, GA 30338

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