1 point can be earned as follows:

Design and construct at least 90% of all buildings in the project such that they meet one of the following requirements according to the appropriate category: Category 1: For non-residential buildings and residential buildings over 3 stories:

Whole building energy simulation

Demonstrate a minimum 10% improvement in the proposed building performance rating compared to the baseline building performance rating per ASHRAE/ IESNA Standard 90.1-2004 (without addenda) by a whole building project simulation using the Building performance Rating Method in Appendix G of the Standard. Appendix G requires that this energy analysis include ALL of the energy costs within and associated with the building project. To achieve this point, the proposed design:

must comply with the mandatory provisions (Sections 5.4, 6.4, 7.4, 8.4, 9.4 and 10.4) in Standard 90.1-2004 (without addenda);
must include all the energy costs within and associated with the building project;
must be compared against a baseline building that complies with Appendix G to Standard 90.1-2004 (without addenda). The default process energy cost is 25% of the total energy cost for the baseline building. For buildings where the process energy cost is less than 25% of the baseline building energy cost, the LEED submittal must include supporting documentation substantiating that process energy inputs are appropriate.

For the purposes of this analysis, process energy is considered to include, but is not limited to, office and general miscellaneous equipment, computers, elevators and escalators, kitchen cooking and refrigeration, laundry washing and drying, lighting exempt from the lighting power allowance (e.g. lighting integral to medical equipment) and other (e.g. waterfall pumps). Regulated (non-process) energy includes lighting (such as for the interior, parking garage, surface parking, façade, or building grounds, except as noted above), HVAC (such as for space heating, space cooling, fans, pumps, toilet exhaust, parking garage ventilation, kitchen hood exhaust, etc.), and service water heating for domestic or space heating purposes. For this credit, process loads shall be identical for both the baseline building performance rating and for the proposed building performance rating. However, project teams may follow the Exceptional Calculation Method (ASHRAE 90.1-2004 G2.5) to document measures that reduce process loads. Documentation of process load energy savings shall include a list of the assumptions made for both the base and proposed design, and theoretical or empirical information supporting these assumptions.

OR

Prescriptive compliance path A

Comply with the prescriptive measures of the ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings or the ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Retail Buildings, as appropriate to building type. The following restrictions apply:

Buildings must be under 20,000 square feet.
Buildings must be office or retail occupancy.
Project teams must fully comply with all applicable criteria as established in the Advanced Energy Design Guide for the climate zone in which the building is located.

OR

Prescriptive compliance path B

Comply with the Basic Criteria and Prescriptive Measures of the Advanced Buildings Benchmark™ Version 1.1 with the exception of the following sections: 1.7 Monitoring and Trend-logging, 1.11 Indoor Air Quality, and 1.14 networked Computer Monitor Control. The following restrictions apply: • Project teams must fully comply with all applicable criteria as established in Advanced Buildings Benchmark for the climate zone in which the building is located. Category 2: For residential buildings 3 stories or fewer: Qualify as an ENERGY STAR Home by either a performance path (through a HERS Index rating) or a prescriptive path (Builder Option Package or BOP).

2 points can be earned as follows:

Design and construct at least 90% of all buildings in the project such that they meet one of the following requirements according to the appropriate category: Category 1: For non-residential buildings and residential buildings over 3 stories:

Whole building energy simulation

Demonstrate a minimum 15% improvement in the proposed building performance rating compared to the baseline described above in WHOLE BUILDING ENERGY SIMULATION of Category 1.

OR

Prescriptive compliance path A

Comply with the prescriptive measures of the ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings or the ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Retail Buildings, as described above in PRESCRIPTIVE COMPLIANCE PATH A of Category 1. Category 2: For residential buildings 3 stories or fewer: Qualify as an ENERGY STAR Home by either a performance path (through a HERS Index rating) or a prescriptive path (Builder Option Package or BOP).

3 points can be earned as follows:

Design and construct at least 90% of all buildings in the project such that they meet one of the following requirements according to the appropriate category: Category 1: For non-residential buildings and residential buildings over 3 stories:

Whole building energy simulation

Demonstrate a minimum 20% improvement in the proposed building performance rating compared to the baseline described above in WHOLE BUILDING ENERGY SIMULATION of Category 1.

OR

Prescriptive compliance path A

Comply with the prescriptive measures of the ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings or the ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Retail Buildings, as described above in PRESCRIPTIVE COMPLIANCE PATH A of Category 1. Category 2: For residential buildings 3 stories or fewer: Exceed the ENERGY STAR for Homes requirements by achieving a minimum HERS Index of at least 80 for IECC Climate Zones 1-5 (generally the southern United States), or at least 75 for IECC Climate Zones 6-8 (generally the northern United States).

Energy efficiency in buildings