The Energy and Atmosphere Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite is part of the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) program. The Minimum Energy Performance must be satisfied before a project can be considered for a LEED Certification. By requiring a minimum energy performance, the USGBC through LEED has made it clear they aim to reduce, aggressively, the environmental and economic harm of inefficient energy consumption.
There are three options to qualify for the Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite Whole-building energy simulation, Prescriptive compliance: ASHRAE 50% advanced energy design guide, and Prescriptive compliance: advanced buildings core performance guide. Demonstrating compliance has been challenging for projects because of the complexity the standards, energy codes, and energy modeling.
USGBC most recent update, LEED v4 has outlined that under whole-building energy simulation the building must show improvements of 5% on new construction, 3% for major renovations, or 2% for core and shell projects when compared to baseline building performance rating. The baseline building performance is the annual energy cost for a building with a standard design. Calculating the baseline building performance must be done by following ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2010, Appendix G, using a simulation model. LEED v4 mandates that renewable energy systems such as wind and solar power cannot be taken into account until after the minimum percentage has been reached.
In order to comply with the Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite the design must be compliant with all of the mandatory portions of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2010. The project must also account for all of the energy consumption and costs within and associated with the building. The comparison against a building that complies with ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2010, Appendix G, is the final step.