The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) launched the newest version of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Program, LEED v4, at the Greenbuild International Conference on November 20, 2013 in Philadelphia.

LEED v4 expands on the requirements and standards of previous LEED versions, streamlines documentation and includes new market sector adaptations for data centers, commercial offices, stadiums, existing schools, warehouses and more.

These new guidelines are better suited to the unique aspects of each of these sectors, with the ultimate goal of removing certification barriers to allow more facilities to participate in LEED.

For example, data centers have specific needs that can be addressed more appropriately with LEED v4: Although data centers have very few occupants, they require a massive amount of energy for cooling the servers. Data centers using water for cooling are a key target area. 

Many of the markets Trane serves will now have a set of LEED requirements more relevant to their business challenges. In the case of existing schools, facility managers will have a clearer understanding of LEED requirements and access to enhanced support and tools provided by USGBC. This will help pave the way for an easier journey to becoming LEED certified.

At Trane, our LEED-accredited professionals are a crucial resource for customers, such as school administrators as they implement high performance building and LEED standards. Most recently, our experts assisted Ridgewood High School in Norridge, Ill., in completing lighting and infrastructure upgrades that reduced energy costs by 18 percent. The school is now on track to earn silver-level LEED certification.