LEED Green Building Rating System for Homes

a New Urban Home.com exclusive
13 December 2005

The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System^TM is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED serves as a resource which has consensually defined 'green building' and certifies deserving buildings as such, thus raising awareness of ecologically sound building practices. A LEED building uses less water, less energy, and fewer materials than typical buildings. Involvement may be completely voluntary, but LEED is looking forward to the day when their novel paradigm will become part of our normative building process.

A Pilot Program
With the aid of local and national stakeholder groups LEED for Homes is being developed by LEED and its parent group USGBC (United States Green Building Council). The USGBC is the nations foremost coalition of leaders from across thebuilding industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work. Until this pilot program, LEED certification existed only for commercial buildings. Indeed, standards for commercial green buildings may never be compatible with the idiosyncracies of the housing industry. Fundamental differences between commercial and residential buildings created the need for a new LEED program. With commercial projects, the building owner is the end user and thus makes the effort him or herself toward ecologically efficiency. However, within the housing market, it will have to be the architects and developers who lead the way. Whereas a commercial building owner may be motivated by ecological responsibility or a desire to save on energy bills, the developer of a LEED for Homes project is moreover hoping for a competitive edge and the wellbeing of the end users.

Emeryville's Blue Star Corner, the first New Urban Homes to come on the market, will be participating in this pilot program. This project is a series of townhomes on an urban infill lot that will be finished off with custom details. This project will incorporate high-density development, EnergyStar certification, proximity to community services, and low-water planting. As well as a conscious effort to build ecologically, Blue Star Corner looks to European models, such as Borneo Sporenburg, as to how the built form can promote sustainable and walkable communities. Other projects joining the LEED for Homes pilot program include a single family Santa Monica house by Living Homes, and Premier ProEnergy Homes, the only planned communities in the Sacramento area to feature photo voltaics as a standard feature. Outside of California, LEED for Homes pilot programs are set up in these areas: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia (including Alabama, South Carolina, and Virginia), Michigan, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Oregon (including Washington), Pennsylvania, Texas, and a Northeast conglomerate group. For more information about these LEED for Homes pilot providers, see below.

LEED for Homes aims to “actively promote the transformation of the mainstream home building industry towards more sustainable practices.” Through voluntary participation, LEED will run through a pilot program first to test the viability of its green building standards in the housing market. The success of this program will be determined both by its feasibility and its effectiveness in the present housing market. Currently, LEED for Homes is focused on market rate housing, though the pilot program will include multifamily and affordable housing to ascertain the inclusion of these housing types.

Interested developers, architects, and builder's stated their intent to take part in this program earlier this year. Once chosen, they attended mandatory orientation sessions last fall. Throughout the pilot program, which continues through early 2007, LEED and USGBC will assess the progress of their study homes, and adjust the criterion of LEED for Homes based on the lessons learned up to that point. Upon completion of this first round of LEED for Homes, the details of the program will be finalized and certification will be possible for new housing projects in the top 25% of the green housing market. These homes will benefit from reduced building and maintenance costs, improved air quality, increased resale value, and a more positive impact on the environment.

The Builder’s Process
The new housing projects chosen to join the LEED for Homes pilot program are half way through these five steps toward completion, expected to take a total of 5 to 8 months.
1. Join LEED for Homes
2. Select Green features
3. Build home
4. Certify home LEED for Homes
5. Sell home to end user

A comprehensive points system will determine the level of certification for a LEED for Homes candidate. Fulfilling requirements in nine categories of ecological efficiency, the homes will need to earn 30 points of 108 must to be certified. Projects accumulating more points will receive a corrosponding silver, gold, or platinum bonus level of certification. There is much flexibility to this program, as a developer may choose to focus on one or two areas intensely, or dabble in all categories. There are, however, minimum requirements that must be met—no matter how fully realized other sections may be.

The nine categories and an overview of how points are earned in each category can be summarized as follows.

Location and Linkages: Points can be earned for siting the project near existing infrastructure, community resources, and/or public green space. Additionally, the project should avoid ecologically sensitive sites and will earn points on a sliding scale for high to very high degrees of density.
Sustainable Sites: This category includes landscaping details such as erosion control, site stewardship, and sustainable landscaping (i.e. low-water usage, shade trees, and native vegetation). Water management through permeable material on 60% or more of the site and non-toxic pest control ensures that run-off will be green and points will be awarded.
Water Efficiency: Re-use of rainwater and grey water earns points in this area, as does an irrigation system with rain sensing controls. Again a sliding scale exists for using indoor appliances with higher than average efficiency.
Indoor Environment Quality: Combustion venting, humidity controls, outdoor air ventilation, vehicular emissions prevention, local exhaust, and contaminant (including radon) control, make up the laundry list of details which earn points in this category.
Materials and Resources: Building a smaller than average home unexpectedly could earn points here. Furthermore, the home should use local materials, have a durability plan, and manage its construction waste sustainably. A LEED home must not use aesthetic lumber or environmentally wasteful materials.
Energy and Atmosphere: A mandatory criterion here is the use of Energy Star rated appliances, and an overall Energy Star certification. Efficient levels of insulation for walls and windows, duct tightness, and renewable energy effect the number of points earned in this category. All major appliances should operate more resourcefully than national averages.
Homeowner Awareness: An educational walkthrough for the homeowner with LEED officials is mandatory for all LEED for Homes homes.
Innovation and Design Process: Bonus points are awarded for projects which innovate beyond specific measures upon description of such features.

LEED for Homes Provider
To assist with the unique challenges LEED for Homes builders will have to face, LEED has created the Provider. Participating developers must be willing to hire the Provider, a neutral third party and LEED professional who will support the builder’s along the way. Additionally, the Provider will verify the final performance test and certification of the LEED for Homes house. For the LEED for Homes Pilot Program, LEED and USGBC chose twelve of their most qualified individuals to service the twelve regions where the pilot will take place. And, for the pilot program, the Providers were given the task of choosing the participating projects.

As mentioned above, LEED for Homes has set up providers in 12 locations across America. For more information about local participants, or to get in touch with a provider to find out how to make your home LEED for Homes, a contact list is supplied below: LEED for Homes Local Providers

LEED is a registered trademark of the U. S. Green Building council.

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