NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20036 T: 202 828-7422 F: 202 828-5110 www.usgbc.org LEED 2009 Regionalization Overview In its current form, LEED is applied uniformly across the United States and point values are equal for achievability of credits across various regions. To enhance the flexibility of LEED and provide a more effective method of addressing the need for regional adaptation, USGBC is proposing the introduction of Regional Bonus Credits to increase the value of pursuing credits that address environmental areas of concern in a projects region. USGBC Chapters and Regional Councils are playing a crucial role in this effort, based on their knowledge of issues of concern in their locales.
As a first step, USGBC introduces regionalization into LEED 2009 as a series of 4 bonus points in the Innovation & Design section of each rating system. Six credits existing in each rating system will be identified as regional credits similar to current exemplary performance points. These Regional Bonus Credits will be identified by the USGBC Chapters and Regional Councils for each environmental zone and a maximum of four points are available for project teams to pursue. This work is currently underway.
USGBC encourages public comment on the proposal to introduce Regional Bonus Credits to LEED 2009 through the comment forms available for each rating system.