Checked November 10, 2026 against the LEED v5 credit library. Check the current rating system before you plan a project around it.
What changed in LEED v5
USGBC members ratified LEED v5 in March 2025, and it launched in April 2025 for new construction (BD+C), interiors (ID+C) and existing buildings (O+M). Points are grouped by three impact areas: decarbonization carries about half of them, and quality of life and ecological conservation and restoration about a quarter each (USGBC).
For an existing building, LEED v5 is performance-based. The project reports at least twelve months of energy, water and refrigerant data in Arc. Certification expires after three years, and the building enters its energy and water data in Arc each year on the way to recertifying (recertification guidance). Registration under LEED v4 and v4.1 closes on June 30, 2027 (USGBC).
The prerequisites that need meters
Before any points, LEED v5 O+M has prerequisites that depend on measurement:
- Energy Monitoring and Reporting (EAp2): permanently installed meters or submeters for total building energy, by each energy source, with monthly data for the twelve-month period and annual reporting after certification.
- Water Metering and Reporting (WEp1): permanent meters covering total potable and alternative water, with twelve months of data and annual sharing afterwards.
- Minimum Energy Performance (EAp3): an ENERGY STAR score of at least 60, an ASHRAE 100-2024 energy use intensity target, or a reduction against the building’s own historical baseline.
- Fundamental Refrigerant Management (EAp4): a refrigerant inventory, with recharge or leakage tracked over the twelve months.
- Verification of Ventilation and Filtration (EQp1): outdoor air calculated and measured against ASHRAE 62.1-2022, and the filtration level of each system identified.
Cognituv Connect reads the meters you already have through a meter pulse reader, and adds electrical submeters and water flow meters where a building or system has none. Refrigerant tracking comes from your service records.
Credits where measured data helps
| Credit | What it asks for | How Cognituv helps document it |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor Air Quality Performance (EQc1), up to 10 points | Option 1 rewards continuous monitoring: at least three consecutive months of readings, at least hourly and every 15 minutes for CO₂, scored on CO₂ and PM2.5 levels, with points for monitoring TVOC | Indoor air monitors log CO₂, PM2.5 and TVOC room by room, time-stamped |
| Commissioning (EAc7), 2 points | Retro-commissioning, or monitoring-based commissioning with an energy information system; the enhanced path adds fault detection and diagnostics | Energy, coil pressure drop and equipment readings for the program your commissioning agent runs |
| Peak Load Reduction Performance (EAc4), 1 point | Interval meters recording at least hourly, and lower the two highest monthly peaks against a baseline | Electrical submeters and current sensors logging electrical demand |
| Advanced Water Metering (WEc2), 1 point | Meters on at least two subsystems, such as cooling towers, irrigation, domestic hot water or process, read at least weekly and used for trend analysis | Flow meters and pulse readers on each subsystem, with leak alerts |
| Optimized Energy Performance (EAc2), up to 12 points | A higher ENERGY STAR score, a lower energy use intensity or a larger reduction against the historical baseline | Coil UV-C keeps coils cleaner between cleanings, and Cognituv Connect measures energy against the baseline |
Point values are from USGBC’s credit pages. The credit language, not this table, decides what counts: your project team confirms each one.
Where UV-C adds to a LEED v5 project
LEED v5 rewards how a building performs, and that is where Cognituv UV-C contributes. A cleaner coil moves air and transfers heat closer to design, which shows up in the energy data behind Optimized Energy Performance, the largest energy credit for existing buildings. Grid does it with no chemicals, so the coil program needs fewer chemical cleanings and less rinse water. Cognituv Connect measures coil pressure drop and energy use against the baseline, so the gain is documented, not assumed.
On air quality, LEED v5 sets the path rather than naming equipment. For existing buildings, the filtration prerequisite asks you to identify each system’s filtration level. For new construction, the Fundamental Air Quality prerequisite (EQp2) asks each central HVAC system for MERV 13 filtration, an equivalent ISO 16890 rating or in-room air-cleaning systems tested for effectiveness and safety under ASHRAE Standard 241-2023 (USGBC). Which path fits is the project team’s design decision.
New construction, briefly
LEED v5 BD+C has its own metering and monitoring items: Energy Metering and Reporting (EAp4), with monthly energy and peak demand reported to USGBC for five years; Water Metering and Reporting (WEp1); Enhanced Commissioning (EAc5), which includes a monitoring-based commissioning option; and an air quality testing and monitoring credit for new construction. Cognituv Connect fits the same way: the meters and monitors behind the data, installed before occupancy.
How products may be described
USGBC lets a product “contribute toward” a credit. It may not be called LEED-certified, LEED-compliant or a LEED product, or be said to meet or satisfy a credit, and the LEED logo can’t go on products or brochures (USGBC brand guidance). That’s why these pages say Cognituv Connect data helps document a credit.
Frequently asked questions
Is any Cognituv product LEED-certified?
No, and no product can be. LEED certifies buildings, not products. A product or its data can contribute toward a credit that the project team pursues.
How much data does LEED v5 O+M need?
At least twelve months of energy and water data for the performance period, and refrigerant recharge or leakage tracked over the same twelve months. The continuous monitoring option of Indoor Air Quality Performance asks for at least three consecutive months of readings.
Which air monitors does EQc1 accept?
The credit sets the monitor grade and how often it must record. We check each monitor model against the credit language with your project team before anything is installed, rather than assume it qualifies.
Does Cognituv track refrigerant?
No. Refrigerant inventory and leakage come from your service records. Cognituv Connect covers the energy, water and indoor air side.
Can we start on LEED v4.1 instead?
Until June 30, 2027. After that, LEED v5 is the version for new registrations, with limited exceptions. See USGBC’s certification deadlines.
Credit names and requirements are USGBC’s, from the LEED v5 credit library as of November 10, 2026. Your project team and USGBC’s review decide how a credit is pursued and whether it’s awarded. LEED® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Green Building Council. Updated November 10, 2026.