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Achieving a LEED certification for a building is a prestigious mark of sustainability and environmental responsibility. Short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, LEED is the world’s most widely recognized green building rating system. It provides a guide for constructing and operating buildings that reduce environmental impact while promoting occupant well-being. A LEED-certified building is designed to address environmental goals such as slowing climate change, conserving water resources, promoting energy efficiency, and enhancing the health and productivity of occupants.
According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the LEED system takes a holistic approach. Rather than focusing on just one aspect of energy usage, such as electricity or water, LEED looks at a building’s full performance across several categories that contribute to sustainability. These categories include energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, material use, and water conservation. Each project can earn points in these categories that contribute to the building’s certification level, from Certified to Silver, Gold, or Platinum.
Building owners seek LEED certifications because they help businesses meet environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. These sustainable efforts not only minimize the environmental impact of the building but also enhance the community’s quality of life and provide healthier indoor environments for occupants. This makes LEED certification an important consideration for those constructing or renovating commercial buildings who want to keep quality tenets.
One of the key areas where Solatube products can help a building achieve LEED certification is in the Energy and Atmosphere category. Solatube Daylighting Systems are designed to reduce energy demand by harnessing natural sunlight, minimizing the need for artificial lighting. These daylighting systems harvest sunlight then channel it into interior spaces, allowing for reduced electricity during daylight hours.
A significant advantage of Solatube’s technology over other skylights is the reduction of solar heat gain, a common issue with traditional skylights. Traditional skylights may allow too much heat into a building, which causes the HVAC system to work even harder to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. Solatube’s advanced design eliminates this issue, allowing natural light to brighten spaces without increasing the cooling load on the building. This results in lower energy consumption and greater comfort for occupants.
Additionally, the energy performance data of Solatube systems, including U-values and Solar Heat Gain Coefficients (SHGC), can be incorporated into energy simulation software during the design phase of a project. This data helps determine whether the building’s energy performance is efficient enough to earn LEED points.
Indoor environmental quality is another aspect considered in the LEED certification process. It looks at factors like air quality, lighting, and thermal comfort, all of which influence the health and productivity of building occupants. Solatube products are specifically designed to enhance indoor environmental quality by bringing natural light into spaces that might otherwise rely on artificial lighting.
One of the criteria for earning points in Indoor Environmental Quality is Lighting Control. A unique feature of Solatube products is the option to include a Solatube Daylight Dimmer, which gives occupants control over the amount of natural light entering a space. Occupants can adjust the lighting levels to meet their specific needs or preferences, whether full daylight for productivity or a softer glow for relaxation.
What’s more, Solatube products help create an environment that promotes well-being by providing glare-free, natural light. The dome on top captures and diffuses sunlight, avoiding the blinding midday light that can occur with traditional skylights. This feature contributes to meeting LEED standards for daylight autonomy and helping buildings maintain adequate natural light levels throughout the day.
Another category a building can earn LEED credits for is Innovation, which recognizes strategies and technologies that go above and beyond typical environmental performance standards. Solatube products can help projects earn Innovation credits in various ways. These might include achieving exceptional performance in energy efficiency, contributing to pilot credits for advanced green building strategies, or serving as part of an educational tool for sustainable building practices.
LEED credits can also be earned through Regional Priority, which means the building addresses local environmental concerns. These priority credits can vary based on the region’s climate challenges, such as water conservation in dry regions or energy efficiency in colder climates. Depending on the project’s location, incorporating Solatube products into building designs can help meet these localized environmental goals, making a Solatube daylighting system more relevant and impactful.
One of the core tenets of LEED is the Integrative Process, which encourages the integration of systems that promote energy efficiency into the design of the building, as opposed to designing a building and then retrofitting it with sustainability solutions after it is built. When Solatube systems are incorporated into the discovery and design phases, designers can make the most of the natural light and ensure these daylighting systems work alongside other building systems.
This contributes to Integrative Design credits because the building has been designed from the ground up with sustainability in mind.
Solatube skylights provide an effective and sustainable way to meet LEED certification goals while promoting a healthier and more efficient building environment. By reducing the need for artificial lighting, controlling solar heat gain, and offering flexibility through daylight dimmers, Solatube systems can play a major role in contributing to LEED certification. To learn more about how Solatube products can help your project achieve LEED certification, visit our Solatube’s LEED Info page, where you can download helpful PDFs that explain in further detail how Solatube can help your building achieve LEED certification.