LEED v5: CAGBC Committees respond to 2nd Comment Period

Green Building Team on November 7, 2024

Rating System/Standard
LEED
LEED v5
Theme
Green Building

Once again, CAGBC committee members rose to the challenge, thoroughly reviewing LEED v5, examining the drafts for the Second Comment Period before the October 28 deadline. The updated versions incorporated changes that ranged from language clarifications to more substantive rating system structure and credit requirement revisions. 

On behalf of our Membership, CAGBC committees offered 129 comments for LEED v5 Building Design + Construction (BD+C) and another 74 for LEED v5 Operations + Maintenance (O+M). 

Overall, CAGBC committee members support the direction of LEED v5. The second draft maintained a strong position on decarbonization, which is important to CAGBC clients. CAGBC’s committee volunteers particularly appreciated the more streamlined approach for LEED O+M, as well as for the “assessment” prerequisites found across all the rating systems. 

A significant number (20%) of CAGBC’s comments for LEED v5 BD+C focused on embodied carbon. CAGBC committee members are strongly supportive of assessing and reducing embodied carbon emissions, and our members had multiple suggestions for enhancements and improvements, noting embodied carbon is a rapidly evolving topic.

While enormous effort has gone into streamlining and clearly spelling out credit requirements in the second drafts, our members made suggestions for further improvements. Additionally, while the minimum requirements for platinum- level projects have been adjusted to provide more flexibility, our members requested that renewable energy requirements be removed entirely given the Canadian market context.

A third public comment is not planned at this time. The current timeline for the release of LEED v5 is early 2025, with USGBC ballot and member ratification occurring first. USGBC also offers a detailed LEED v5 FAQ on the process. 

Members who are interested in LEED v5 credentialling are encouraged to consider volunteering as subject matter experts for USGBC’s LEED v5 Exam Task Force. Applications are being accepted until November 24, 2024. 

CAGBC thanks the LEED v5 Accelerators, the LEED Advisory Committee and the two Technical Advisory Groups (Embodied Carbon and Energy & Engineering) for their intensive review of the LEED v5 drafts.  

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