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Despite its bevy of energy-saving features, local construction material and preferred parking for hybrid vehicles, the latest office building by Matan Cos. of Frederick isn't receiving the green imprimatur of the U.S. Green Building Council.

Matan's RiversideFive office building — a 126,151-square-foot, four-story structure near the Monocacy River — meets the council's criteria for its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification. But Matan is waiting until a tenant requests a LEED-certified building to actually complete the certification process, which can cost up to $2,250.

"In understanding the marketplace, we determined that tenants find the green features attractive, but also are conscientious of savings passed on to them by avoiding the cost of the LEED certification process," marketing manager Noelle Schilling said in an e-mail. "Should a tenant require that the building be certified for their occupancy, we have the procedures and paperwork in place."

Buildings gain LEED certification through their design, construction, operations or management. Five primary criteria are sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality.

RiversideFive, set to open in November, used the building council's guidelines to construct an energy-efficient, cost-reducing building with a small environmental footprint.

More than 75 percent of the building's materials came from within 500 miles of the 10-acre site. High-efficiency rooftop heating, ventilation and air conditioning units were installed. Interior construction cut water use by 33 percent.

Frederick County has only one LEED-certified building — the Fannie Mae Urbana Technology Center — but at least eight other projects are in the pipeline for certification, including Black Ankle Vineyard in Mount Airy, Lucy School in Middletown and Ballenger Center's shopping center in Frederick.

If all are approved, Frederick County could boast more than 850,000 square feet of environmentally friendly space in the next few years.

BP Solar, which is expanding its Frederick headquarters, originally sought LEED certification with a planned green roof, solar panels and energy-efficient design. Plans for going green changed when BP announced it would not complete the $97 million project to expand its manufacturing capacity, but finish only the $30 million addition for office space. BP canceled the manufacturing expansion because of an increasingly competitive market among solar panel manufacturers, said spokesman Tom Mueller.

"Given our drive now to strengthen the competitive position of the plant, we will not be pursuing LEED certification for the new building," Mueller said in an e-mail. "We'll be focusing our investment on activities that help build a competitive, long-term and sustainable solar business."

A Frederick County Public School project, the Earth and Space Science Lab at Lincoln Elementary in Frederick, also had registered for LEED certification. Directors withdrew from the process in the spring, realizing it could not meet the standards without incurring additional costs.

Despite 100 solar panels donated by BP Solar and a geothermal system, ‘‘We've taken it off the table," director Jeff Grills said at the time. The $5 million, 10,624-square-foot lab center broke ground this year.

Green buildings can be more expensive to construct and buy, but the green building council, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that developed the rating system in 2000, says they can boost the owner's bottom line in the long run.

Ashley Katz, a council spokeswoman, said she does not believe the cost of certification has deterred many developers from seeking the LEED label. More than 14,000 projects worldwide have gained LEED certification. She called the cost, which varies by square footage and is capped at $2,250, a "drop in the bucket" for large-scale projects.

"It's really not something we're seeing as prohibitive," Katz said. "Green building … doesn't have to cost more than conventional building. In fact, the upfront costs for a high performance office building average only 1 to 2 percent of the overall budget. Once your building is operational, you start saving money."

The average return on investment is 20 percent over the building's lifetime, savings found through reduced energy and water bills, Katz said.

"The confidence that comes with LEED certification really makes it worth it," Katz said. "Independent third-party verification means you know that your building is saving energy and water just like it was designed to."

Richard Griffin, Frederick's director of economic development, said that even though the RiversideFive building doesn't have LEED certification, city officials hope the project will inspire "such practices … throughout our community."

"Sustainability is an increasingly critical component of today's business decisions," Griffin said in a statement. "Matan's decision to implement green building practices is commendable."