Reach Platinum in LEED v5: How to Use Renewables for LEED Points

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), developed by the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council), rewards buildings that use renewable energy. That sounds simple enough, but if you’re working to meet LEED goals, it’s natural to be wondering how this works - and how to maximise your points with renewables.

This guide looks at a clear strategy to maximize LEED points, specifically within the Energy and Atmosphere (EA) category. Energy is widely understood as one of the most strategic categories to secure points within LEED. That’s because regardless of project type, all LEED rating systems are explicit about energy use requirements. However, where most people go wrong is that they ignore unbundled Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs).*

We’ll get onto how EACs are effectively a requirement for LEED level platinum, and a game changer for fast, feasible point acquisition. Crucially, we’ll cover exactly what you need to know to avoid making EAC related mistakes.

*Note, “EAC” is not to be confused with the LEED abbreviation “EAc” and “EAp”, which, respectively, are the attainable credits and mandatory units that comprise the Energy and Atmosphere category.

First things first - What are EACs?

“EACs” is the umbrella terminology, and they differ depending on your jurisdiction and geography. Broadly, they refer to the transferable certificates that are issued to renewable energy producers and later sold to corporate consumers. They each represent a set amount of verified renewable production, and act as the tradeable renewable “attribute” of that energy, designed to behave as a traceability mechanism that can be transacted “bundled” or “unbundled”, meaning independently or alongside energy. This means that standard energy can be bought from the grid, whilst tracking certificates allow the consumer to make a provable and legitimate claim that the energy came from a renewable source, after the fact.

Secondly - What are LEED credits?

Let’s quickly look at how the LEED certification (and credit) system is structured. LEED is the leading building rating system in global adoption, it has been through multiple iterations (it’s currently on version 5), and it uses multiple rating systems depending on your project type. These rating systems are:

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Credit completion rewards points, and LEED levels are based on the number of points acquired. The total point score of a project determines the certification level (Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum). If you’re reading this article, we suspect that you’re looking to get into the higher, more prestigious tiers. Regardless, paying attention to the energy you use can prove decisive.

The LEED Levels:

LEED levels and point thresholds are the same for all project types, even if these points are acquired in different ways across project types.

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Okay, but how many points can EACs deliver?

To answer that, you first need to understand LEED renewable energy tiers, and apply this understanding to the project types we saw earlier. EACs sit in all renewable tiers, as every tier must have its environmental attributes (EACs/RECs) retained and retired on behalf of the project in order to count.

Unbundled EACs (independently tradeable instruments sold separately from electricity, the easiest EACs to acquire) show up most explicitly in Tier 2 bulk purchase and Tier 3 off-site renewables.

Tiers:

• Tier 1 (on-site generation)
• Tier 2 (new off-site renewables)
• Tier 3 is (older off-site renewables)

The maximum points that can be achieved using any combination of these Tiers depends on the project type, which the table below covers.

What are the maximum points obtainable using EACs for each project type?

LEED v5 rating PDFs on usgbc.org inform the following table-based breakdown for using retired EACs for points across BD+C, ID+C, O+M.

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So to hit Platinum, I need EACs?

That’s exactly right, EACs are effectively baked into Platinum requirements. For BD+C and ID+C, Platinum formally requires 100% of the relevant energy to come from Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3 renewables, with the associated attributes retained and retired. For O+M, Platinum lacks an explicit 100% Tier 1 to 3 rule, but in practice most Platinum projects rely on Tier 2 and Tier 3 procurement documented with retired EACs instead of Tier 1 on-site renewables alone.

But why not just use Tier 1 and 2?

Theoretically, you could hit 100% renewable energy use from Tier 1 and 2 sources only, but it’s hard to achieve, making the unbundled EACs that occupy Tier 3 an appealing prospect. Here’s why:

• 100% Tier 1 is nearly always costly and limited by physical space and planning requirements in dense urban environments. Data-centers and office buildings are a good example of projects that would struggle to have enough on-site generation.
• 100% Tier 2 often requires complex PPA contract negotiations.
• 100% Tier 2 also requires the renewable asset to be new (built within the last 5 years or contracted to be built).
• Minimum contract terms are harder to meet with Tier 1 and 2 alone

LEED minimum contract terms

LEED v5* also requires minimum contract terms for renewable energy procurement for all tiers in these credits: 10-year contracts (or equivalent proration) for BD+C and ID+C, and 3-year contracts (or equivalent proration) for O+M. Those long terms are easiest to meet via off-site Tier 2 and especially Tier 3 3 deals that agree to take the certificates over time.

*For projects still using LEED v4, the same long-term logic applies: BD+C and ID+C require a minimum 5-year green power contract, and O+M requires at least 2 years (with commitment to renew).

To summarize: unbundled EACs bridge this gap substantially.

When projects can procure renewable energy attributes independently, they’re not subject to construction delays or spatial constraints, EACs effectively "clean" the grid mix that project overseers are already paying for, providing that unbundled certificates matching the required consumption MWh are being cancelled (we’ll get onto the specifics of “matching” and “cancellation” at the end).

Where can I get the right EACs for LEED?

The USGBC has a strict guide as to what EACs meet their criteria. EACs must be Green-e Energy certified or the equivalent, and all necessary documentation must be proven, including the minimum contract length. There are also regional breakdowns, too. For instance, in Europe, EKOenergy certified electricity (a specific quality label applied to eligible EACs) is considered an acceptable equivalent to Green-e certified products.

Soldera is an authorised EKOenergy seller, but our platform goes further: enabling you to handle the entire LEED process in just a few clicks. Before Soldera, this would require sourcing certificates, opening an EAC registry account (or finding somebody who has one), or hiring a consultant to do these things for you.

Upload your consumption report for immediate LEED-ready renewable checkout.

For immediate identification of the EACs that meet LEED guidelines, Soldera allows you to upload the actual energy consumption report from your buildings, or planned consumption for buildings that are yet to be developed. No matter the file-type or structure, our AI parses the consumption data and highlights the correct EACs you need, and, thanks to our forward delivery infrastructure, opens the contract with the minimum length that your LEED project mandates.

Once confirmed, our platform can execute the buy orders and cancellations that reflect the contract duration. You will be able to immediately access an exportable audit pack that you can present to the USGBC. This pack is fully ready to submit for review in Arc or LEED Online alongside your other project documentation.

The pack contains an auditable EAC registry actions trail, the contract duration, and proof of recent GO cancellation(s). Additionally, it contains proof the renewable energy installation was not in a nature reserve - and if biomass or hydropower EACs are chosen used, it will also contain the relevant additional sustainability criteria that USGBC need to see.

There’s truly no need to pay for specialist renewable consultants and brokers when LEED compliance is work that our AI can complete within minutes. Begin our corporate signup, and you’ll soon be surprised at how simple it actually is to configure your renewable procurement needs and purchase the right EACs.