Eco-Friendly LEED Home Rating System Simplified

Written by Randy on March 30, 2008 | Comments (1)

What is the LEED Home Rating System?

Ever heard of it? Maybe. Thought of it much? Probably not. If you're about to have a home built to your specifications I'd strongly suggest you educate yourself regarding the eco-friendly LEED Home Rating Certification program. If you're in the market for a new home, condo, apartment, et cetera...seek out a dwelling with the LEED certification for a multitude of reasons.

Okay...you might be asking yourself, "What the heck is LEED?" LEED stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design and it is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council. It's some serious stuff with stringent guidelines but certainly not unattainable goals for environmentally-minded homebuilders and their customers.

First of all, your new home is required to be inspected by a LEED certified, 3rd party home inspector. The cost of inspection will vary but expect to spend around $1500.

The LEED for Homes Rating System measures the overall performance (yes...performance) of a home in eight categories:

Innovation and Design Process (ID). Special design methods, unique regional credits, measures not currently addressed in the Rating System, and exemplary performance levels.
Location & Linkages (LL). The placement of homes in socially and environmentally responsible ways in relation to the larger community.

Sustainable Sites (SS). The use of the entire property so as to minimize the project's impact on the site.

Water Efficiency (WE). Water efficient practices, both indoor and out.

Energy & Atmosphere (EA). Energy efficiency, particularly in the building envelope and heating and cooling design.

Materials & Resources (MR). Efficient utilization of materials, selection of environmentally preferable materials, and minimization of waste during construction.

Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ). Improvement of indoor air quality by reducing the creation of and exposure to pollutants.

Awareness & Education (AE). The education of homeowner, tenant, and/or building manager about the operation and maintenance of the green features of a LEED home.

Source

There are also four levels of certification available:

Platinum

Gold

Silver

Certified

Platinum is the highest standard attainable. The HGTV 2008 Green Home was able to warrant a Gold certification...which is extraordinary. You'd never know it by just driving by the home. Nothing odd or weird looking about the home at all. The point I'm making is that green building is here and now for today's home styles and lifestyles.

DO IT PEOPLE!!!

The payback is global, local and personal. Your environmental impact on all fronts is considerable. How does reduced greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy and water bills, reduced construction waste for your local landfill, and considerably less problems with indoor air quality sound to you? Like a breath of fresh air...that's how! Again...that's global, local and personal.

Interested in learning more about gaining LEED certification for your homebuilding project? Check out the following link:

LEED for Homes Rating System ...(it's a .pdf file)

Okay...that's the basics. Want to know the nitty-gritty details?

Learn everything you ever wanted to know about the LEED program and all that it entails. And I do mean EVERYTHING!

Green Home Building Glossary

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