The LEED Green Building Rating System™ for New Commercial and Major Renovation (LEED-NC v2.2) provides a set of performance standards for certifying the design and construction phases of commercial, institutional buildings, and high-rise residential buildings. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Integrated Energy Design is a process that purposefully brings together the work of various design and engineering disciplines to produce buildings that cost less to operate; are easier to maintain; and are more attractive, marketable, and comfortable than buildings designed through the more traditional, compartmentalized approach. The benefits of integrated energy design can often be achieved with little or no increase in first costs.

Building commissioning is the systematic process of ensuring that a building's complex array of systems is designed, installed, and tested to perform according to the design intent and the building owner's operational needs. The commissioning of new buildings will be most effective when considered throughout the planning stages and as early as schematic design.

The best energy design strategies for buildings can only work if they are actually communicated properly to those who complete the construction. The practice of energy detailing specifies, counterchecks, and verifies the design details in the actual structure, maximizing actual building performance upon project completion.

Energy efficient buildings can provide substantial economic return to building owners, developers, and tenants. Besides lower energy bills, additional benefits from improved occupant comfort, worker productivity, tenant retention, and property valuation can improve the financial performance of a project well beyond the basic energy cost savings.