LEED

LEED is a certification system administered by the U.S. Green Building Council. It is the most widely recognized green building certification system in the United States. The majority of green certified buildings in NYC are LEED certified. In order to receive LEED certification projects collect points in categories such as Energy and Atmosphere, Heat Island Reduction, Water Performance, and Sustainable Sites. LEED provides four certification levels:

ENERGY STAR

Energy Star was originally developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a voluntary labeling program to promote energy-efficient products and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Passive House

Passive House is an international building standard developed in Germany in the 1990's by the Passive House Institute of Darmstadt. Passive house building technology provides a 90% decrease in heating and cooling energy expenditure and a 75% decrease in overall energy usage. Passive house has been recently becoming more popular in the United States. In NYC Passive House certified projects include primarily smaller residential buildings such as townhouses or smaller apartment buildings including affordable-housing projects.