LEED Services

LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a green building rating system produced by the USGBC (United States Green Building Council). LEED’s use in certifying buildings is growing rapidly as more government agencies, Fortune 500 corporations, building owners, and other stakeholders are becoming concerned about energy efficiency and protecting the environment. LEED is also a mandated process by local state and county governments and agencies. Some examples of agencies requiring LEED design are the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, State of Maryland public construction including schools, Pennsylvania schools, City of Baltimore, and Montgomery County, MD. In addition, many jurisdictions that do not mandate LEED Certification provide tax breaks for buildings that do achieve specified levels of LEED certification.

At CCI, we can provide many services that assist an owner in getting a new construction project certified under LEED NC, CS, or CI. With LEED AP’s on staff, CCI understands the LEED certification process and can provide advice on certification issues. LEED Fundamental Commissioning services are a Pre-Requisite to certifying a building. We offer high quality LEED Fundamental Commissioning and incorporate other elements of the Commissioning Process not required, providing more economic and operational benefits to the owner. CCI’s LEED Enhanced Commissioning assists the owner in achieving a higher level of LEED Certification. The additional services including the design review and 10 month operational review provide additional levels of quality in the delivered project. CCI also documents all activities in LEED Commissioning and updates LEED On-Line with the results. With either Fundamental or Enhanced Commissioning, CCI tracks benefits achieved by the Commissioning Process and informs the owner through a close out benefits meeting. The owner can then make a more informed decision on the next project on which level of LEED Commissioning to pursue or to go beyond the LEED requirements to demand an even more thorough Commissioning Process.

CCI also produces building energy models to satisfy the requirements of EA Pre-Requisite 2 and EA Credit 1. CCI will make recommendations to the owner and architect to facilitate selecting an economical and efficient building envelope system to maximize performance within the budget. CCI also makes recommendations to the mechanical and electrical design engineers, improving the design of efficient HVAC and lighting systems. The completed and documented energy model will then be uploaded to LEED On-Line.

CCI can also be of great assistance in certifying existing buildings for LEED O&M. CCI’s Retro-Commissioning process will assist the owner in documenting and qualifying for many of the EA Credits and Pre-Requisites. The Retro-Commissioning process will reduce energy consumption and operational issues in an existing building undergoing LEED O&M certification. An ongoing commissioning plan can be established as one of the credit requirements to facilitate the Continuous Commissioning of the building to keep performance optimal. CCI can serve as either the prime documentation coordinator or work with a LEED certification specialist to document LEED O&M.