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Upstate NY, United States
DYI with common sense. Or should I say "green" sense.

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Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Is Your House LEED Certified?

LEED certified? What is it? LEED is short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

LEED certification is an independent Green certification managed by the US Green Building Council. It certifies that a building meets specific standards in green materials and construction.

Quoting from the USGBC site: "LEED is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality."

LEED certification touches all parts of construction: Not just the physical building. It also has certifications for neighborhoods.

In addition, there are specific LEED certifications for schools, retail outlets, commercial buildings and healthcare facilities. They even separate certifications for new construction and existing construction projects.

And then there is a specific LEED certification for new residential homes and existing residential homes. This latter part is what I am interested in.

Part 2 will cover what a LEED certification consists of.
Posted by Robert at 10:34 AM
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3 comments:

  1. Hi Rob never new about this. I have a question for you, when you say they give you the tools needed do they consult with you or do they send a book/blueprint lay out of thing you have to do, thanks Chris
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  2. Chris, thanks for the comment.
    To answer your question: LEED allows you to follow a checklist for a specific project, but this depends on how far and how much you are willing to spend.
    If you want to get the LEED certification on a project, the project must be registered with Green Building Counsel. Then a certified LEED inspector will help you go through the process. Then when the project is finished the inspector certifies to it.
    Of course there is much more to this process which I am going to write about in a future blog.
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  3. Thanks Rob like I said I was not sure how the program worked. It would be great if more company new about it and would start to use it or if the State would make it part of the new codes for new construction and say 20% had to be Green or part LEED. In the long run the company that was building would save the money in the long run and have the greatest benefit of all and still be doing there part.
    Thanks again Chris D. Maenza Sr.
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