Advice provided by: Sarah Gudeman, LEED AP, EIT, Morrissey Engineering, Inc.

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D.J. asks: Can an existing industrial facility obtain certification under the Green Buildings Operation and Maintenance category? I see references to commercial and institutional facilities, but no language related to industrial buildings.

Answer: D.J., I see why you might be hesitant but I know of no existing restrictions or precedent where industrial facilities are not eligible for LEED certification. But, I personally haven’t worked on an industrial project that attempted to pursue LEED. And you’re correct, in the Green Buildings Operation and Maintenance Reference Guide there is no mention of industrial facilities. So, the first place I went to research this was the 2009 LEED Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs), available for review online at http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=6715. This document details the MPRs, minimum characteristics that a project must possess in order to be eligible for LEED certification. This document precedes anything in the LEED Reference Guide. An MPR supplemental guidance document is also available at http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=6473.

Reviewing the MPRs, there is no mention of industrial facilities, but in the Supplemental Guidance document, we find the following:

Building types - The categories of buildings suitable for LEED ‐ commercial, institutional, and high rise residential are intentionally inclusive, and are in no way exclusive. They cover a wide range of building types, including industrial. GBCI will not prevent a building from attempting certification due to its use.

So the short answer is yes, your industrial facility is eligible to apply for and earn LEED certification. Of course the calculated baseline for buildings with unique operating characteristics, like data centers, have traditionally been harder to get certified and have a stigma of ineligibility. You, however are in luck (at least compared to a Data Center until June when Energy Star Ratings will be made available for those building types), because industrial and manufacturing facilities are eligible to earn the Energy Star. This is important because this rating is used to determine credits for Energy and Atmosphere (EAc1, Optimize Energy Efficiency Performance). For projects that are Eligible for Energy Star performance rating using EPA’s Energy Star’s Portfolio Manager tool, achieve an energy performance of at least 71 (which corresponds to one point – up to 18 are available). Portfolio Manager compares facilities to other comparable buildings and provides a 0-100 rating based on the energy performance of the building in question (50 being average).

Based on all this – you’re good to go. Now it’s time to get a LEED consultant on board because speaking from experience, the documentation process for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance is the most extensive and time consuming. Depending on what type of performance period you decide on for your project, the process may be ongoing over several years. Good luck on your certification!