Summary of LEED Standards for Existing Buildings:
Operations and Maintenance

What is the LEED Rating System?

The LEED 2009 Green Building Rating Systems is a series of voluntary, consensus-based standards that assess the relative environmental performance of buildings. They evaluate environmental performance from a ‘whole building perspective’, and are designed for rating the design, construction, and operations of new and existing commercial, institutional, and residential buildings. Their ultimate goal is to promote high performance, healthy and environmentally sound buildings.

LEED 2009 for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED-EB: O&M) addresses the ongoing operations of existing commercial and institutional buildings through a range of issues such as exterior site maintenance, efficient use of water and energy, the purchase of environmentally preferred products, waste stream management and ongoing indoor environmental quality (IEQ). In addition, LEED-EB: O&M provides guidelines for whole-building cleaning and maintenance, recycling programs and systems upgrades to improve building indoor environmental quality and the use of materials, energy and water. LEED-EB: O&M is intended to address whole building performance, as opposed to that of individual tenant spaces.

How does certification against LEED-EB: O&M work?

Certification to LEED-EB: O&M is based on the number of ‘points’ earned by a building’s operations. In order to qualify, the operations must first satisfy prerequisite criteria (or ‘credits’). Depending on the strengths of the building operations, more flexible points are earned by satisfying additional credits. Both prerequisites and additional credits exist in five categories - Sustainable Sites (SS), Water Efficiency (WE), Energy and Atmosphere (EA), Materials and Resources (MR), Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). There are 100 base points in the certification program, and two additional categories – Innovation in Operations (IO) and Regional Priority (RP) - offer an opportunity to earn an additional 10 bonus points. The number of total points earned determines the level of LEED certification received. The four levels of certification are:

• Certified 40–49 points
• Silver 50–59 points
• Gold 60–79 points
• Platinum 80 points and above

How can using Sellars’ GREENX™ Towels help earn LEED-EB: O&M certification?

The use of Sellars’ GREENX™ Towels can help building managers and operators earn certification under the
LEED-EB: O&M Standard. However, it should be recognized that LEED-EB: O&M rates actual building operations, and not products used within the building. While the use of specific products can contribute to earning both prerequisites and additional credits, the rating system has been designed such that rarely can a single product
earn points on its own. Read More