Impact Category & Point Allocation Process

Question 1

As apart of LEED v4 what benefit does LEED Weightings Tool provide?

Answer 1

The new LEED Weightings Tool not only allows for these detailed associations to be made for each credit in the LEED system, it also enables statistical analysis of the results.

Question 2

How are points achieved?

Answer 2

Points are allocated through a weightings process where a credit receives one or more LEED points based on each credit’s relative effectiveness at accomplishing the goals defined for the system, . The more effective the credit requirements are at addressing the goals of the system, the more recognition (or points) it receives.

Question 3

How many points are need for a building to be certified?

Answer 3

40 out of 100. Anymore equals the following: 
40 points - LEED Certified
  50 points - LEED Silver
  60 points - LEED Gold
  80 points - LEED Platinum

Question 4

What are Impact Categories?

Answer 4

LEED’s system goals are referred to as “Impact Categories. And breakdown to the following: Reverse Contribution to Global Climate Change
Enhance Individual Human Health and Well-Being
Protect and Restore Water Resources
Protect, Enhance and Restore Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
Promote Sustainable and Regenerative Material Resources Cycles
Build a Greener Economy
Enhance Social Equity, Environmental Justice, and Community Quality of Life

Question 5

What are the 3 association factors?

Answer 5

Relative Efficacy, Duration, Control

Question 6

What is Relative Efficacy?

Answer 6

A measure of whether a credit outcome is associated with a given Impact Category component, and how strong that association is

Question 7

What is Duration?

Answer 7

This is a measure of how long the benefits or consequences of the credit outcome can be expected to last.

Question 8

What is Control?

Answer 8

This indicates which individual or actor is most directly responsible for ensuring that the expected outcome of the credit outcome is actually achieved. It is assumed that when the expected outcome of a credit is dependent on Occupants (e.g. biking to work because of the availability of bicycle racks), the certainty of the outcome is lowest and therefore the association weight is discounted the most heavily. If the outcome is not dependent on an individual (e.g. thermal mass as a passive heating/cooling strategy), then the certainty of that outcome is assumed to be the highest, and is then not discounted at all.