LED Lighting The Best Solution

About the current and new LEED process (scheduled for debut January 2009)

The Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction. Since its inception in 1998, LEED has grown to encompass over 14,000 projects in 50 U.S. States and 30 countries.

The U.S. Green Building Council is changing its certification process for green buildings through its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. A 30-day online public comment period ended June 22, and the new version, dubbed LEED 2009, is slated to debut in January. LEED 2009 will reorganize the commercial rating systems by consolidating, aligning and updating them into one system that's "simpler and more elegant and committed to continuous improvement," says USGBC spokeswoman Ashley Katz.

References/links:
Full information website (Green Power Building Council) – http://www.usgbc.org
Press release – http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/2008/07/07/daily4.html

LEED Credits and Points
LEED certifications are available in eight categories: new construction, existing buildings, commercial interiors, core and shell, retail, schools, health care and homes. Another category, for neighborhood developments, is in the pilot stage.

LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. Points are awarded for specific practices in each area and are verified by an independent third party. Depending on the number of points earned, a building is awarded a certified, silver, gold or platinum ranking.

Different LEED versions have varied scoring systems based on a set of required "Prerequisites" and a variety of "Credits" in the six major categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation and design process. In LEED v2.2 for new construction and major renovations for commercial buildings, there are 69 points buildings can qualify for: certified 26-32, silver 33-38, gold 39-51, platinum 52-69.

Certification information – reference/link: http://www.nrdc.org/buildinggreen/leed.asp

Boca Flasher’s Involvement
Boca product solutions have helped building sites gain qualification points in several categories (consult with Boca on specific project).

Boca has teams and individuals involved in ensuring that Boca: actively performs due diligence to remain in compliance with all applicable standards, subscribes to IESNA/industry values & Best Practices commonly adopted by the other top-tier LED lighting products manufacturers, develop products that represent advancements in energy efficiency and are environmentally friendly.

Boca is committed to compliance with industry and relevant standards as well as to best practices.