Good news for everyone that has a project in the early design stage and is considering a LEED Certification. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced last week that it will allow LEED users to register projects under the LEED 2009 rating system until Oct. 31, 2016.
The original date for LEED 2009 registration to close was June 15, 2015. Extending to October 2016 gives LEED users and members of the green building industry additional time to prepare for LEED v4, the latest version of LEED, which features increased rigor and multiple updates. While the registration date has been extended, the last day projects can submit for certification, also called the sunset date, remains the same: June 30, 2021.
LEED v4 has been in the market for nearly one year and will remain available for those who are ready.
In a survey conducted at last month’s Greenbuild conference, 61% of respondents said they are “not ready” or “unsure” if they are ready to pursue LEED v4 and require additional time to prepare. Extending LEED 2009’s availability enables USGBC to work with the broader industry within a longer time frame to drive meaningful and comprehensive change.
