WHAT IS LEED?
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is the world’s most widely used green building rating system. LEED certified homes provide green features, allowing for the design, construction, operations and performance to be healthy and cost-efficient. Launched by US Green Building Council, the rating system was designed to guide green buildings for all sectors and stages of development. LEED for Homes Rating System is part of the comprehensive tools by USGBC to promote sustainable home designs. LEED for homes is a collaborative initiative that works with all sectors of homebuilding.
LEED STRUCTURE
The LEED Rating System is a green building certification system providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance. LEED provides building owners, design teams, and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.
LEED is structured to motivate us to build higher performing homes and engage in a set of goals that are being accomplished. LEED is organized to promote action in 6 key areas, known as credit categories:
- Location and Transport
- Sustainable Sites
- Water Efficiency
- Energy and Atmosphere
- Materials and Resources
- Indoor Environmental Quality
Under each of these credit categories are a collection of mandatory and optional strategies. Mandatory strategies are deemed “prerequisites” for entering the system, while optional strategies are referred to as “credits”. Each prerequisite and credit has a stated “intent” and a set of requirements. To achieve certification, projects must document compliance with all prerequisites and a sufficient number of credit requirements to amass 40 of the available 100 points in LEED. These points generate four levels of LEED certification:
- LEED Certified
- LEED Silver
- LEED Gold
- LEED Platinum
BENEFITS OF CW CUSTOM HOMES AND LEED
- MATERIAL AND RESOURCES – CW Custom Homes uses green building materials to limit waste during construction and keep the air safe in your home.
- ENERGY EFFICIENCY – Our homes are heated and cooled with Geothermal to ensure that your home can be comfortably heated and cooled with minimal energy usage.
- WATER EFFICIENCY – Efficient utilization of water uses inside and out reduces water costs and consumption.
- INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY – CW Custom Homes designs maximize quality to control your indoor environment from pollutants to keep your home healthy.
WHY LEED?
- PROVEN PERFORMANCE – If you’re serious about saving money, conserving energy, reducing water consumption, improving indoor air quality, making better building material choices, and driving innovation, then LEED is the best choice.
- CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT – Behind the LEED program is immense infrastructure developed to support the leaders in the industry as they innovate and create cutting-edge, high performance buildings. We make significant investments each year to maintain, operate, and improve LEED’s delivery. No other certification system comes close.
- LIFETIME OF RETURNS – LEED certified buildings cost less to operate and can reduce energy and water costs as much as 40%. LEED homes may also qualify for a host of incentives like tax rebates and zoning allowances. Not to mention it will retain higher property values!
An investment in LEED equals a lifetime of results! For more information visit https://new.usgbc.org/leed