The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) developed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating systems to hold architects, contractors and clients accountable in the construction and renovation of eco-friendly buildings. By registering your project and following these rigorous guidelines, you can proudly call your home "green."
LEED for Homes
Though there are several ratings systems under the LEED umbrella that cover all projects types, as a homeowner, you should familiarize yourself with the LEED for Homes system. First, determine if your home will qualify. LEED for Homes applies to new construction and gut renovations of existing homes.
Next, you must register your project with USGBC, pay a fee that ranges between $150 and $300 for a single family home, and contact a LEED for Homes Provider to help you get started. You should also work closely with your architect or designer to ensure your home's design meets LEED's criteria and earns an adequate number points in the following eight categories:
Innovative Design Process (ID) - 11 points max
LEED intent: "Maximize opportunities for integrated, cost-effective adoption of green design and construction strategies."
Locations & Linkages (LL) - 10 points max
LEED intent: "Minimize the environmental impact of land development practices by building homes in LEED for Neighborhood Development certified developments."
Sustainable Sites (SS) - 22 points max
LEED intent: "Minimize long-term environmental damage to the building lot during the construction process."
Water Efficiency (WE) - 15 points max
LEED intent: "Use municipal recycled water, or offset central water supply through the capture and controlled reuse of rainwater and/or graywater."
Energy & Atmosphere (EA) - 38 points max
LEED intent: "Improve the overall energy performance of a home by meeting or exceeding the performance of an ENERGY STAR labeled home."
Materials & Resources (MR) - 16 points max
LEED intent: "Optimize the use of framing materials."
Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ) - 21 points max
LEED intent: "Improve the overall quality of a home's indoor environment by installing an approved bundle of air quality measures."
Awareness & Education (AE) - 3 points max
LEED intent: "Maintain the performance of the home by educating the occupants (i.e., the homeowner or tenant) about the operations and maintenance of the home's LEED features and equipment."
Points Thresholds
To qualify as a LEED certified home, your project must reach the base threshold of 45 points. Beyond this baseline, you may achieve these higher levels of certification:
Silver - 60 points
Gold - 75 points
Platinum - 90 points
Now that you know what LEED means, ready to learn more Green Building Acronyms?