Jan 16, 2026
There are many sustainability certifications that buildings can be awarded once complete. We’ve created this blog on some of the top certifications, what their goals are, why they are significant, and the pros and cons of each. Take a look and see if your next build will qualify for any of these certifications.
There are many sustainability certifications that buildings can be awarded once complete. We’ve created this blog on some of the top certifications, what their goals are, why they are significant, and the pros and cons of each. Take a look and see if your next build will qualify for any of these certifications.
The goal of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is to create high-performing sustainable buildings through a voluntary rating system that provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, constructions, operation, and maintenance solutions. LEED is a whole-building approach to evaluate environmental impact and performance.
LEED is available for all building types and all building phases – new construction, interior fit outs, operations and maintenance, and core and shell. The certification is awarded when a project has satisfied all the prerequisites and earned a minimum number of credits points by using sustainable strategies in building energy efficiency, water savings, building materials selection, indoor environmental quality, location and transportation, site development, innovative strategies, and regionally focused priorities. There is a total of 110 possible credit points, with various rating systems depending on the number of points you acquire.
The costs of acquiring a LEED certification are high upfront, but eventually lower utility costs for the existence of the building. There are opportunities for tax incentives and rebates – but these are typically based on location. The total cost of a LEED certification depends on the size of the project, credit goals, as well as any appeals or additions to the credit approval process.
Clients that have a goal of holistically improving their environmental impact and creating a more sustainable environment for their tenants and employees are the prime client types for LEED certification.
The WELL Building Standard, created by the International WELL Building Institute, uses a people first approach to create and certify spaces that advance human health and wellness through the built environment. Buildings that are WELL Certified prove that building design, operations, and behaviors within the places we live, work, learn, and play can be optimized to advance the health of building occupants.
The core concepts of WELL certification are air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind. WELL offers certifications to new and existing buildings, new and existing interiors, and core and shell projects. A building must achieve a defined score in each of the above categories, submit project documentation and conduct an onsite audit, which then gives the opportunity to be awarded a silver, gold, or platinum WELL certification. After being officially awarded a WELL certification, the registered project must be recertified every three years. The basic steps of a WELL certification are listed below.
For WELL certification, there is a flat enrollment fee, a certification fee based on square footage, and a performance testing fee. There is an opportunity for price reduction eligibility if the building is contributing to an emerging market in WELL establishments, is a small business, or is an organization that serves the public good.
The client type that is best suited for WELL certification is one that is more focused on sustainability for its tenants. The client must be prepared to think about building design and operations in a unique way, making sure to prioritize people, health, and well-being.
The International Green Construction Code (IgCC) was created in 2018 with the goal of providing fundamental criteria for energy efficiency, resource conservation, water safety, land use, site development, indoor environmental quality, and building performance that can be adopted throughout the construction industry. This code provides the building blocks on which future resilient and sustainable construction initiatives can develop and expand. The IgCC includes environmental health and safety codes as minimums. The IgCC is supported by organizations that continuously improve the built environment by creating safe, sustainable, and equitable buildings for all.
The IgCC does not include a third-party verification, so there is no review process when implementing the code into a project. The IgCC is a guidebook for project teams to follow with the goal of acquiring the benefits of green building solutions (I.e., low operating costs, conservation of resources, improved indoor air quality, onsite environmental protection, building resiliency, and climate change mitigation).
The cost of the IgCC consists of a subscription fee that provides online access to the code with search and collaboration tools. Due to there not being a third-party verification, the IgCC has a lower cost than a typical green building certification.
Because the IgCC is a guiding tool rather than a certification, the client type best suited for the IgCC is one that is prepared to utilize the IgCC’s flexibility and implement it into their project but does not need third-party verification.
The EarthCraft Light Commercial and Residential certifications are centered around reducing environmental impact and utilizing sustainable design solutions. Through the Light Commercial certification, resource-responsible design and construction practices are implemented into small-scale or “light” commercial buildings. EarthCraft Light Commercial focuses on onsite planning, energy, and water efficiency, building durability, and improved occupant health and comfort.
Through the EarthCraft Residential certification, homes are designed, sourced, and constructed to reduce environmental impacts. An EarthCraft home uses resource efficiency design, improves homeowner education, and ensures the use of resource efficiency building materials.
Both EarthCraft Light Commercial and Residential follow the basic steps below for their certification process. All applicants must meet the minimum standard for certification and encourage builders to earn badges representing enhanced efforts in performance, health, environment, and comfort.
For light commercial projects, the process is most efficient if registration is completed as early in the design process as possible. For residential certifications, the project must be registered with EarthCraft prior to pre-drywall inspection.
Both EarthCraft certification process costs include a flat registration fee and additional costs depending on finished condition square footage. The EarthCraft House certification includes the opportunity to choose between various badges that range from $50 to +$375. There is also a required cost for an EarthCraft Technical Advisor (TA) as part of a third-party field verification which is priced depending on the project scope. Other costs depend on the choices made by the design and construction teams as to which sustainability attributes will be implemented into the project to meet certification requirements.
The client best suited for an EarthCraft Light Commercial certification would be a client hoping to certify a smaller scaled commercial building with the goals of improving their environmental impact. Homeowners or prospective homeowners looking to reduce personal utility bills and wanting to live eco-consciously are best suited for EarthCraft Residential.
The goal of the Passive House Certification is to implement a performance-based energy efficiency design standard using 5 passive house principles – climate appropriate insulation levels, airtight building envelope, thermal bridge free design, high performance windows with orientation and shading as required, and continuous ventilation with heat recovery. The Passive House building standard relies on energy efficiency with passive solar techniques and internal heat gains to reduce heating and cooling demands while creating simple methods for providing needed heat. Climate specific demands are met using passive and active shading, window orientation, and passive ventilation.
A building that is striving to achieve a Passive House certification must provide record of adjustment of the ventilation system, a declaration by the construction supervisor, photographic documentation, and a completed review by an official Passive House building certifier. The Passive House certification utilizes an independent third-party verification step using a blower door test to verify the thermal regulation of the building. The Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) is a planning tool used by architects and planning experts to help ease the process of achieving Passive House standards.
For Passive House certification, the larger the building is the less of a cost difference there is between becoming certified and using conventional energy star standards. This is because a large project will have large expenses, regardless of certification, and the energy efficient equipment used in a Passive House certified building provides cost offsets and lower operational expenses. A multifamily Passive building typically costs only 0-3% more, and a Passive home typically costs 5-10% more than a conventional home.
A client who is best suited to achieve a Passive House Certification is one that has a focus on reducing energy usage, lowering utility costs, and improving the efficiency of their building envelope. Clients developing larger projects are more suited for Passive House due to cost offsets seen in overall building operating expenses.
Green Globes is a sustainability certification, created by GBI, that uses a science-based building rating system to allow building owners and managers to select which sustainability features best fit their building type and occupants. The goals of this certification are to ensure energy conservation, lower water consumption, responsibly use materials, and efficiently use the project team’s time.
To become Green Globe certified, a building must meet at least 35% of the possible 1,000 points that are deemed applicable to the project. Green Globes does not require any prerequisites to be eligible for certification. The steps to a Green Globes certification are:
The Green Globes certification has a flat registration fee at the beginning of the certification process, with design review costs that depend on the type of project (new construction, sustainable interiors, existing buildings, and core and shell), as well as square footage. The cost of the last step of certification, the onsite visit, depends on the type of project and square footage. Assessor travel is also paid for by the client through a flat fee, and any recognition items (plaques, window decals, certificates, and banners) are considered add-on costs at the discretion of the client.
A client who wants a custom-tailored approach to their sustainability journey is best suited for Green Globes certification.
ENERGY STAR is a voluntary U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program that delivers environmental benefits and financial value through superior energy efficiency. To be certified as ENERGY STAR, a building must meet strict energy performance standards set by EPA. The certification includes the entire property. The certification includes measurement of the outside air ventilation, air temperature, humidity, and lighting illumination levels in a representative sample of spaces throughout the building. The ENERGY STAR score compares the building’s energy performance against that of similar buildings across the country. This peer group is identified through nationally representative survey data, primarily from the Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), a survey conducted approximately every four years by the U.S. Department of Energy.
To get an ENERGY STAR score, the property must meet several criteria related to its:
To be eligible for ENERGY STAR certification, a building must earn an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher on EPA’s 1 – 100 scale, indicating that it performs better than at least 75 percent of similar buildings nationwide. This 1 – 100 ENERGY STAR score is based on the actual, measured energy use of a building and is calculated within EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool. The score accounts for differences in operating conditions, regional weather data, and other important considerations.
Certification is given on an annual basis, so a building must maintain its high performance to be certified year to year. And the information submitted in the certification application must be verified by a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) or Registered Architect (RA) to be eligible for approval. This means they will need to sign off on a few things in the application: the property use characteristics (including square footage of the building), energy data, and whether each of the indoor environment criteria has been met.
The ENERGY STAR certification application is free. All of EPA’s tools and resources, including Portfolio Manager and Target Finder, are free to use. That means the project team can spend the budget on an energy efficiency program, rather than on a third-party certification program. Owners must still hire a professional engineer or registered architect to verify the ENERGY STAR certification, which will come at a minimal cost.
A client who wants to demonstrate their project’s energy efficiency achievements against an industry benchmark.
