The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) recently announced a price increase for registration and certification for some of the LEED rating systems and versions. Effective May 1st, 2023, the price increase is the first since 2016 and a 12% fee rice will affect the following programs:
- Building Design and Construction (BD +C);
- Interior Design and Construction (ID +C);
- Building Operations and Maintenance (O+M);
- Neighborhood Development (ND);
- Cities and Communities.
The USGBC is proud to offer one of the most comprehensive green building rating systems in the world, and the price increase is necessary to continue providing the highest quality of service and support. LEED-certified buildings are not only helping to reduce our carbon footprint, but they’re also helping to create healthier and more efficient spaces, which can lead to long-term savings.
New Features
In addition to the price increase, the USGBC announced a major update to its LEED-registered projects, granting them access to additional capabilities in Arc beginning May 1st. Arc is a powerful tool that helps measure, track and score the real sustainability performance of your project and compare it with other certified projects. The system can help to appraise your project’s past performance, measure improvements and make informed decisions about the project’s future.
Through Arc, LEED-registered projects will now have access to a suite of features to help them better monitor their sustainability performance. These features include:
- Customized date ranges
- Scoring models
- Advanced scoring
- Project reporting
- Insight tool
LEED is always striving to meet ESG, decarbonization, and equity goals, and the growing fees are there to support the highest quality of service. LEED-certified buildings actually save money, improve efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and create healthier places for people.
How to Save
Here you may compare the new and old LEED Registration And Certification price lists and see how the fee change might affect your project.
| Old Prices | New Prices | |||
| Silver, Gold and Platinum level members | Organizational level members or nonmembers | Silver, Gold and Platinum level members | Organizational level members or nonmembers | |
| Building Design and Construction | ||||
| Less than 250,000 sq ft | From $4,050 | From $4,950 | From $4,550 | From $5,525 |
| 250,000 – 499,999 sq ft | From $15,450 | From $18,600 | From $17,350 | From $20,700 |
| 500,000 – 749,999 sq ft | From $28,700 | From $34,500 | From $32,350 | From $38,700 |
| Interior Design and Construction | ||||
| Less than 250,000 sq ft | From $3,100 | From $3,750 | From $3,500 | From $4,225 |
| 250,000 – 499,999 sq ft | From $10,700 | From $12,900 | From $11,850 | From $14,700 |
| 500,000 – 749,999 sq ft | From $18,700 | From $22,500 | From $21,350 | From $25,200 |
| Building Operations and Maintenance (LEED v4.1) | ||||
| Less than 250,000 sq ft | From $2,340 | From $2,850 | From $2,625 | From $3,200 |
| 250,000 – 499,999 sq ft | From $6,900 | From $8,350 | From $7,850 | From $9,200 |
| 500,000 – 749,999 sq ft | From $11,700 | From $14,100 | From $13,350 | From $15,700 |
However, there is a way to secure current prices by submitting for certification review or making an advance payment before May 1st. By taking action now, you can ensure that your project stays on track and on budget, while also gaining a competitive edge in today’s rapidly evolving marketplace. Registration gives the project access to LEED Online, submittal tools and resources, and enables GBCI to begin supporting the project’s certification goals.
Even though the price of certification is not the largest component of total construction costs for most projects, decisive action now can help leverage savings in the changing environment.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact your design/construction team. We are always there to help!
