The basic idea of all certification and rating systems is that the building solutions are identified, measured and rated according to special rating rules. Based on the ratings the building is given a certificate that describes its environmental qualities. With the help of rating and certification systems building or property owners, investors, buyers or tenants are able to assess the environmental friendliness, energy efficiency and other aspects that influence the value of the building.

LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an internationally recognized green building certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council that provides third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. LEED® is at the moment one of the few building environmental certification systems that is used all over the world.

BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) is the British environmental assessment method for buildings. It is also widely used. It sets the standard for best practice in sustainable design and has become the de facto measure used to describe a building's environmental performance.

PromisE is a Finnish rating system that was developed in order to create a tool for the marketing and developing properties. Its basic idea is to assess the most important environmental values of the property with the help of simple and reliable indicators.