Green Certification

Recurrent Energy’s partnerships with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and ENERGY STAR help us qualify buildings for certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the ENERGY STAR energy efficiency programs.

LEED

LEED is a widely used benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.

To earn LEED certification, a building project must meet certain prerequisites and performance benchmarks (“credits“) within various categories. Projects are awarded Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum certification depending on the number of credits they achieve.

Solar as a Service can provide between 1 and 3 LEED credits depending on the proportion of the building’s energy that is displaced by solar electricity.

ENERGY STAR

Buildings that earn the ENERGY STAR prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Buildings with the ENERGY STAR label typically yield higher rents — and higher sales prices — than buildings without the ENERGY STAR label.

To determine eligibility for the ENERGY STAR label, the EPA rates a building’s energy efficiency on a scale of 1-100. A building that scores 75 or above — placing its energy performance among the top 25 percent when compared to similar buildings — can earn an ENERGY STAR label.

Learn more about Recurrent Energy’s partnership with ENERGY STAR.

“Average rents have risen 15% at offices with the ENERGY STAR label, compared with 9% for non-ENERGY STAR buildings. ENERGY STAR-rated buildings also have higher occupancy rates — 89.2%, compared with an 87.5% occupancy rate for less-efficient buildings.”

— June 2007 CoStar Analysis