What prerequisite must all projects meet concerning energy performance in LEED?

The prerequisite that all projects must meet concerning energy performance in LEED is the Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite. This prerequisite requires that projects demonstrate a certain level of energy performance to ensure they meet basic energy efficiency standards. It sets a baseline for energy efficiency that projects must achieve in order to be eligible for further LEED certification.

This prerequisite aims to encourage the use of effective energy-efficient designs and technologies, positioning energy performance as a fundamental aspect of sustainable building practices. By requiring all projects to meet this prerequisite, LEED ensures that energy efficiency is prioritized from the outset, establishing a standard of performance that can be built upon with additional credits, such as the Optimize Energy Performance credit.

In contrast, other choices represent credits or prerequisites that are valuable but do not serve as the foundational requirement for all projects in the context of energy performance. For instance, optimizing energy performance is a credit that can be pursued beyond the basic requirement, while refrigerant management and building-level energy metering focus on specific aspects of energy and resource management rather than establishing overall energy performance thresholds.