142 Properties Certified. $2.3B in Green Premium Unlocked.
We thread LEED scorecards, ENERGY STAR benchmarks, and GRESB frameworks into the acquisition and repositioning strategies of institutional commercial real estate portfolios — from scorecard to signed lease.
One Firm. Four Frameworks. Every Lever Pulled.
Three data points below are unlocked from the 2025 Green Premium Benchmarking Report. Download for the complete 47-page analysis.
| Criterion | LEED O+MUSGBC | ENERGY STAREPA | GRESBGlobal Benchmark | WELL v2IWBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Energy, water, waste, IEQ | Energy performance only | ESG portfolio benchmarking | Human health & wellness |
| Certification Tiers | Certified / Silver / Gold / Platinum | Score 1–100 (≥75 = certified) | 1★ to 5★ (top 20% = 5★) | Bronze / Silver / Gold / Platinum |
| Institutional Investor Relevance | High — Class A urban office standard | Medium — operational efficiency signal | Critical — 98% of investors use ESG data | Growing — health-premium asset class |
| Rent Premium (Class A Office) | +3.7% over non-certified | +2.1% avg. energy efficiency premium | Up to 25.3% sales premium per sf | Emerging — 8–14% in select markets |
| Data Required | Energy, water, waste, IEQ — 12 months | 12 months operational energy data | Asset-level ESG data, full portfolio | Health-related operational data |
| European Pension Fund Access | Supports SFDR Article 8/9 alignment | Limited direct pathway | Direct — 1,063 EU participants, mandatory for many LPs | Indirect via ESG score contribution |
| Certify Advisory Scope | Full scorecard + LEED AP coordination | Benchmarking + EPA Portfolio Manager setup | End-to-end GRESB submission + gap analysis | WELL AP coordination + wellness strategy |
| Avg. Time to Certification | 6–18 months (O+M cycle) | 3–6 months (data verification) | Annual submission cycle (April deadline) | 12–24 months (full certification) |
| 2026 Scoring Impact | Stable framework | No structural change | -8 to 0 pts (Development); -2 to +2 pts (Performance) | Version update pending |
Sources: GRESB 2025 Benchmark Results, USGBC LEED Data, EPA ENERGY STAR, IWBI WELL v2. Rent premium data sourced from JLL, CBRE, and CoStar proprietary datasets. Full citations in report.
Everyone at this level is already here.
Named VPs of Sustainability and CIOs across institutional portfolios. Before/after metrics are verified actuals from GRESB submissions and certified third-party energy audits.
“Certify mapped our entire 18-property portfolio against the 2026 GRESB scoring redistribution before our LP meeting. We walked in with a 5-star projection and walked out with a term sheet.”
Margaret Holloway
VP Sustainability, Meridian Capital Advisors
Meridian Commerce Center — 1.4M sf · Chicago, IL
Engagement Outcomes
| Before | After Certify | |
|---|---|---|
| Certification | No Certification | LEED Gold + ENERGY STAR 82 |
| Energy | Baseline | −31% EUI |
| Rent Delta | Market Rate | +4.2% Premium |
| GRESB | 2★ (44/100) | 5★ (81/100) |
“Our GRESB score moved from 44 to 81 in a single submission cycle. That delta opened conversations with three European pension funds that had previously declined to engage.”
James Rafferty
Chief Investment Officer, Broadstone Asset Management
Broadstone Gateway Portfolio — 2.8M sf · Boston, MA
Engagement Outcomes
| Before | After Certify | |
|---|---|---|
| Certification | ENERGY STAR (71) | LEED Platinum + GRESB 5★ |
| Energy | No Baseline | −38% EUI |
| Rent Delta | Market Rate | +6.1% Premium |
| GRESB | 3★ (59/100) | 5★ (88/100) |
“The ESG disclosure package Certify prepared for our SASB and TCFD reporting cut our IR team's prep time by 60%. The institutional narrative was already written.”
Priya Nambiar
Director of ESG Strategy, Harborview REIT
Harborview Office Tower — 680K sf · San Francisco, CA
Engagement Outcomes
| Before | After Certify | |
|---|---|---|
| Certification | No Certification | LEED Gold O+M + WELL Silver |
| Energy | No Tracking | −27% EUI |
| Rent Delta | Market Rate | +3.9% Premium |
| GRESB | Non-participant | 4★ (74/100) |
“We needed a GRESB score that would satisfy Dutch and German pension mandates on our new fund raise. Certify delivered 87 — Development component — before we broke ground.”
Thomas Wainwright
Managing Director, Development, Northgate Development Partners
Northgate Innovation District — 3.1M sf · Austin, TX
Engagement Outcomes
| Before | After Certify | |
|---|---|---|
| Certification | Uncertified Development | LEED Gold Core & Shell |
| Energy | Design Phase Only | −42% vs. Baseline |
| Rent Delta | Pre-lease | +7.3% over comp set |
| GRESB | Non-participant | 5★ (87/100 Dev) |
2025 GRESB Avg. Score (Standing Investments)
+3.1 vs. 2024
CRE entities with net-zero policies (2025)
Up from 72.4% in 2023
Institutional investors using GRESB data
Representing $50T+ AUM
The scoring landscape shifts in April 2026.
Organizations investing early in embodied carbon tracking and third-party assurance will be best positioned to maintain star ratings.
Energy Like-for-Like Scoring
High-performing assets now rewarded even without year-on-year improvement. Operationally efficient portfolios gain without incremental investment.
Score Impact
Neutral to +2 pts
Recommended Action
Verify asset-level data completeness in Portfolio Manager
Embodied Carbon Criterion
New embodied carbon tracking for developments and major renovations. Green leasing agreements and tenant fit-outs now factor into scoring. Based on 2024 data, average score shift: −0.6 pts — enough to alter star ratings.
Score Impact
−8 to 0 pts (Development) −2 to +2 pts (Performance)
Recommended Action
Initiate embodied carbon baseline audit immediately
Climate Risk & Target Validation
Increased weighting for climate risk, health and safety, and validated target setting. Narrative-based policy indicators now carry reduced weight — verified, quantitative performance required.
Score Impact
−4.0 to +2.85 pts per participant
Recommended Action
Commission third-party assurance of performance data now
European Pension Fund Mandates
With 1,063 EU GRESB participants and 32% of investors now making participation mandatory, a sub-4★ score is increasingly a disqualifying signal for European capital raises.
Score Impact
Access to EU pension capital
Recommended Action
Gap analysis required before next fundraise cycle
Know your 2026 exposure before your LPs do.
Request a complimentary GRESB Gap Analysis — one page, ungated, delivered within 48 hours.
The 2025 Green Premium Benchmarking Report. 47 pages. Every number sourced.
The report institutional investors use to benchmark their managers. Now available to asset managers, REITs, and development directors preparing for the 2026 GRESB cycle.
Inside the Report
Green Premium by Asset Class
LEED Gold Class A urban office commands a 3.7% rent premium; Platinum-certified assets show up to 25.3% sales premium per sf. Full breakdown by market, vintage, and certification tier across 142 certified assets.
GRESB Score Distribution & Star Thresholds
2025 Standing Investment average: 79/100 (+3.1 vs. 2024). Full quintile distribution, star-rating cutoffs, and regional benchmarks across 2,223 participants representing $9T GAV.
2026 Scoring Redistribution Modeling
Portfolio-level simulation of embodied carbon, climate risk weighting, and target validation changes. Average impact: −0.6 pts, with tail risk of −4.0 pts for Development-heavy portfolios.
LP Mandate Tracker — European Pension Funds
Proprietary database of 47 European institutional LPs, their GRESB minimums, SFDR Article 8/9 requirements, and fund-raise timelines. Know who requires what before you dial.
Download Full Report — 2 Fields
No Gate Required
Request Your GRESB Gap Analysis
One-page sample PDF. Benchmarks your current GRESB score against the 2026 redistribution model. Delivered within 48 hours. No form required.