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Add a lot of Blown in Cellulose mix it with Geothermal out comes LEED Platinum

The project began with the deconstruction of a 40 year old summer cottage that we enjoyed using for many years. During the deconstruction phase, we were able to salvage most, over 90%, of the wood from the walls and ceiling.

The remainder of the house was recycled through Chef Container, our salvage
and recycling service provider. During the building process we used environmentally friendly materials such as low VOC adhesives, sealants, solvents and paints. In addition, our friendly lumber and supply contractor, Standale Lumber, was able to provide locally harvested materials whenever possible.

Watt Project Profile LEED Platinum Certified South Haven Michigan Green Construction

Great Lakes Superior Wall Basement
Advanced framing construction
Dow Insulated Structural Sheathing
Geothermal Heating System with Energy Recovery Ventilator and
MERV 13 air filtration
Blown cellulose insulation
Energy star rated appliances, fixtures and compact fluorescent lights

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Gross Pointe home on track for Platinum LEED Certification

‘It’s not that easy being green,” sang Kermit the Frog. While that’s often true when it comes to green building, it is definitely getting easier, say Lynn and Charlie Arnett of Grosse Pointe Park.

The Arnetts and their four children, three of whom still live at home, recently moved into one of the Detroit area’s first new LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, green-built houses.

The family had been living in a nearby 1950s house and needed more space. They thought seriously about building, but empty lots are hard to find in older, established neighborhoods such as Grosse Pointe, and they weren’t sure they wanted to trade in the frustrations of an older house (asbestos, lead paint, wet basements) for the different but equally challenging issues of newer ones (formaldehyde, medium-density fiberboard).

Both have long been interested in environmental issues. Lynn worked in environmental law in Washington, D.C., and Charlie, a teacher, jokes that he recently found a button for the first Earth Day in a box when they moved.

After much thought and plenty of research, they decided to look for a lot where they could build an environmentally conscious new home. Ultimately, that search led them to a 60-by-175-foot corner lot where a condemned 1920s Tudor had been torn down.

Gross Pointe LEED Home

“We decided we wanted to walk the walk, not just talk the talk,” says Charlie of their decision to build.

Doing so had its challenges. Green building has been in the forefront of the news, but mainly in the commercial arena. Green residential building is still fairly uncharted territory, say the Arnetts, especially in Michigan. Still, they were determined to make it happen.

Once they found their lot, they enlisted the help of Joel Peterson of Insignia Homes, a Grand Rapids-based builder whom Lynn had worked with on a former house and who had experience in LEED-certified homes. He led them to Wayne Visbeen, a Grand Rapids-based architect known for designs that successfully blend past and present.

The Arnetts wanted the house to be green but also to blend with the older Tudors and colonials on the block. “It was very important to us that the house fit into the neighborhood,” Charlie says. “We had the architect and builder do a Grosse Pointe field trip before we started.”

Priorities included a vintage-style screened porch off the kitchen as well as a large open living space encompassing the kitchen and great room. The house would have six bedrooms and 41/2 baths and the kind of detail — wood trim, glass-knobbed doors, a stucco fireplace, exterior shingles — often found in older homes. Underneath, however, the infrastructure would be green.

LEED-certified houses include things such as geothermal heat, an air recovery system and a long list of environmentally approved materials, including insulation, windows, carpet, even landscaping. “Indoor air quality is very important to us, so we opted for no-VOC paints or finishes, and insulation made of shredded newspapers,” Lynn says.

LEED certification is awarded in levels, with points given for each area of compliance. (For more information, visit the U.S. Green Building Council’s website at www.usgbc.org.) The Arnetts are waiting to hear if they have achieved platinum status, the highest level given, and have been investigating the idea of installing cutting-edge solar shingles, a product Dow is pioneering.

Lynn spent hours researching materials and contractors. They struggled to find cabinetry for the kitchen that was formaldehyde-free, ending up with an Indiana company. “You really have to ask a lot of questions,” she says. “It was a big education for us, too.”

It took less than a year to build the Craftsman-influenced home. Now that the house is done, they’ve been working with Grosse Pointe Park-based interior designer Fatima Beacham and trying to fill it with “green” furniture — another area that hasn’t quite hit the mainstream yet.

“The problem with a lot of new furniture is that it is built with medium-density fiberboard that contains formaldehyde,” Lynn says. Formaldehyde has been linked to many health ailments.

They admit there were times they were tempted to give in and take the easier way. “Staying on track and not letting ourselves be pressured to compromise was challenging,” Charlie says.

“There were times I was tempted to cave, but Lynn kept me going.”

While building green is a bit more expensive than standard construction, tax credits and governmental rebates help, and prices should decrease as demand goes up, the Arnetts say. For their family, going green has been the right choice. “Once you get started, you want to do it 100 percent,” Lynn says.

“When it comes to residential construction, LEED is still in its beginning stages. We’d love to be a resource for other homeowners. Hopefully our experience will make it easier for the next folks who want to do this. Even choosing a low or no-VOC paint for your next project is a good start.”

The Arnetts recommend the following contractors and manufacturers:

Architect: Wayne Visbeen (www.visbeen.biz)

Builder: Joel Peterson, Insignia Homes (www.insigniahomes.us)

Kitchen cabinets: Mutschler Kitchens, Karen Rozanski (www.mutschlerkitchens.com)

Flooring: Chelsea Plank Flooring (www.plankflooring.com)

Carpeting: Mohawk SmartStrand (www.mohawkflooring.com/smartstrand)

Custom cabinetry: Dutch Made Cabinetry (www.dutchmade.com)

Paint: Sherwin-Williams no-VOC “Harmony” paint (www.sherwinwilliams.com)

Toilets: TOTO Dual Flush Toilets (www.totousa.com)

Landscaping: James Leamon Landscape Design, (313) 407-8137

Khristi Zimmeth is a Metro Detroit freelance writer and Homestyle’s Trash or Treasure? columnist.

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110218/LIFESTYLE01/102180306/Grosse-Pointers-build-certified-earth-friendly-home#ixzz1EOaEKWMz
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Post Occupancy Study & Extra ID Credit Opportunity

is conducting a post occupancy utility study of all our current/future LEED for Homes projects in conjunction with USGBC’s new pre-approved Building Performance Partnership ID credit.  This study will help measure the effectiveness of LEED™ for Homes, work as an educational tool and help promote the LEED™ standard and all parties involved in certified projects.  We encourage project team leaders to inform residents of this opportunity.

Project teams signing up can earn one Innovation and Design point for enrolling.

Background Information USGBC’s Building Performance Partnership (BPP): engages commercial and residential LEED building owners and managers in an effort to optimize the performance of buildings through data collection, analysis and action. This partnership among USGBC and the thousands of LEED project owners will result in the population of a comprehensive green building performance database, enable standardization of reporting metrics and analytics, and establish new performance benchmarks. USGBC’s BPP participants are eligible for annual performance reports, report cards and real-time data interfaces to aid in their building performance goals. Together, USGBC and BPP participants will transform the way the world views building operations.

Please sign up here below

To earn ID Credit please go to the USGBC’s Website and fill in your project information and check off: 38: PF – Advanced Utility Tracking

Then sign up here. http://www.earthaid.net/bpp

Note: you will need to have an active online account with you utility companies, if you don’t, please sign up (this also a good time to make sure to select the paperless option with your utilities!)

Let us know once you have signed up!

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The Sustainable House. LEED Platinum

The Sustainable House is one of the worlds’ highest ranked and highest rated home for: LEED for Homes®, Energy Star® and Minnesota GreenStar® programs. It is incorporates a Permaculture designed landscape, utilizes a Xeriscape criteria for landscaping, it utilizes the criteria for Century Design Shelters, American Lung Association healthy home criteria, Universal Living criteria and Smart House criteria. This 1948 remodel in Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA was created by 7 teams of 248 individuals in 2007 and 2008.

View & Download Project Profile PDF

The House Basics

In order to achieve LEED Platinum status, Live Green Live Smart/The Sustainable House™ must meet a rigorous set of guidelines that require exceptional attention and innovation on the part of the builders and designers.

Sustainable Energy Systems

The most conspicuous innovations are in the ways the House actively uses (or doesn’t use) energy. Because this is a demonstration project, the House incorporates many redundant energy supplies – it is important for us to show how not just one, but many, systems work and how they work side-by-side.

  • Solar panels provide both electricity for the home and energy to heat water.
  • The Honda/Climate Energy Freewatt™ “combined heat and power” (CHP) system provides, via a generator and furnace run on natural gas, co-generating electricity and forced-air heat.
  • Underneath the House’s front walkway are four 135-foot-deep geothermal wells, which circulate a non-toxic solution through pipes to capture the stable temperatures beneath the surface. The energy of the Earth’s heat is transferred to a WaterFurnace™, which can heat the home in the winter and provide air conditioning in the summer.

Environmentally-Conscious Applications

The green building materials and techniques as applied to the House are less conspicuous than alternative energy sources, but no less important to our Platinum remodel.

  • Efficient insulation and an air transfer system ensure that none of the heat or cold generated goes to waste, and that the air inside the home stays clean and breathable.
  • Solatubes provide natural sunlight all day long, even in the basement, reducing electricity needs.
  • Every lightbulb in the house is an energy-efficient compact fluorescent or LED.
  • Low-voltage radiant in-floor heating is an efficient way to reduce furnace needs.
  • Greywater is collected from the showers for reuse in the double-flush toilets.
  • Windows are triple-glazed and argon-filled to reduce heat transfer.
  • Appliances are EnergyStar rated, and an induction stove is used for cooking.
  • All electrical energy purchased from the grid is the product of windfarming – no coal-fueled energy will be used in the House.

Conservation and Pollution Control

Remodeling an existing home instead of building a new one allows us to keep our construction footprint to a minimum. Remodeling when more usable living space is needed also preserves untouched land, reducing the land and resources needed for specific construction.

  • To rebuild the home we have reused as many of the original components as possible – including the 2×6 studs reused to extend the eaves out from the house to save energy needed for cooling, and to protect sidewalls and windows from Minnesota’s weather extremes.
  • Anything that cannot be reused is recycled – such as the House’s old stucco – and anything that cannot be recycled is handled by responsible disposal to reduce pollution of air, soil, and water.
  • Studs for the new additions (foyer and garage) are 2×4 instead of the standard 2×6. They are also spaced farther apart – 24 inches on center – providing about a 30% savings in new lumber used.
  • Most new wood is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified to come from sustainable forests.
  • Furniture, cabinetry, and countertops are made with recycled or sustainably-harvested materials, and are free of harmful chemicals.
  • Paints and varnishes are free of harmful VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and formaldehyde.
  • The highly efficient insulation is no-VOC, and an energy heel enclosed in an interior soffit minimizes cold and hot air import by protecting the jointure of walls and roofline.
  • Foundation concrete is made with 40% fly ash – recycled sooty waste from coal plants – which is less expensive and more durable than a standard Portland cement mixture.
  • Potable water from municipal supply is further filtered with a purification system.
  • Water-saving devices include automatic on-off faucets, the batteries of which are recharged by water flow through the supply valves, and double-flush toilets that flush once for liquids and twice for solid waste.

Land Management

In meeting conservation and efficiency requirements, what goes on outside the House is equally as important as what goes on inside the House.

  • Rain gardens planted with native plants collect rainwater and allow percolation back into the ground instead of runoff into storm drains. Cisterns collect additional rainwater from the roof and gutters of the House – a two-inch rainfall provides a month of plant and lawn watering.
  • Native plants requiring less water are established, with an emphasis on those especially suited for the local climate and the House’s particular site.
  • Reduction of turf grass area means a reduction in lawn maintenance needs.
  • Behind the house a permaculture microclimate and intensive garden allow the homeowners to grow and enjoy their own fruits and vegetables.
  • Hardscapes are paved with permeable materials to reduce run-off into storm sewers and waterways.

More Details and project journal can be found here

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Kenilworth Bungalow – LEED Platinum

A new home along the Kenilworth Lagoon – reminiscent of a modest Arts and Crafts bungalow – is scaled to fit the specific needs of the homeowner and tailored to match the scale and character of the neighborhood. Designed by Domain Architecture & Design®, Minneapolis, MN, the interior of this single-family, detached bungalow feels large and spacious, despite it small footprint. This LEED for Homes registered project also benefited from a whole-structure, whole-site, integrated design approach utilizing emerging, as well as proven, sustainable technologies and construction systems. Sustainable design strategies were integrated in ways that harmonize cutting-edge technologies with a traditional aesthetic.In September, the Project’s strengths were acknowledged through its selection to the prestigious ’09 AIA-MN Homes By Architects Tour. A distinguishing feature of the home is its construction from structural insulated panels (SIPs). These panels, which were custom built off-site, sandwich insulation between a structural skin of two sheets of OSB

(oriented strand board) structural skin. This eliminates on-site waste common with typical wood framing, increases construction efficiency, and creates a high performance building that is stronger, quieter and considerably more energy efficient than homes of traditional construction. The use of SIPs, as well as high-efficiency windows, appliances, fixtures, and heating and air conditioning systems, will drastically reduce energy use and energy bills. In fact, with a HERS Index of 49, this home is projected to be 51% more energy efficient than its built-to-code-standard analogue would be. Moreover, the indoor air quality of the home should far exceed that of a conventional home, thanks to the use of low-VOC paints, formaldehyde-free cabinetry, and integrated moisture control measures that will limit mold and mildew build-up. The landscape design retains and infiltrates 100% of an ‘average’ rainfall onsite, allowing the owner to defray costs via municipal stormwater abatement credits and minimizing use of the site’s high efficiency irrigation system. This is the result of utilizing only no-mow turf; non-invasive, drought-tolerant,native flora; numerous infiltration devices; and pervious-concrete ‘trapping’ strategies in the driveway.For every square foot of impervious concrete hardscape found within the site, there is a square foot of pervious (permeable) concrete offsetting it. Domain is committed to green building, with designers that are LEED accredited, and completed projects that have been recognized for excellence in sustainable design – such as the renovation of the Pillsbury Library in Northeast Minneapolis (LEED-NC v2.2 Gold). For more information on building a new home or renovating your existing home in a way that reduces energy use, limits waste, and provides a healthy indoor environment, please go to the Domain website at www.domainarch.com

Project Particulars
Total Property Area: (in Square Feet) 5570
Gross Home Square Footage: (in Square Feet) 3633
Total Home Footprint: (in Square Feet) 1337
Surface parking spaces: 0
Structure Parking Spaces: 2
Undisturbed Site Area: 0
Site Context/Setting: Urban

Site Conditions: Previously Developed
Green features and highlights:
 Fly Ash (recycled from coal power plants) used to strengthen the foundation concrete.
 SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels) used for the exterior envelope (walls and roof).
 Interior walls constructed with finger-jointed studs; and floor trusses are open-web type.
 Cabinetry & moldings constructed from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and urea-formaldehyde free wood products.
 Project’s waste management plan facilitated a 67% landfill diversion rate for construction waste removals.
 Appliances, ceiling fans, and bathroom fans are Energy Star rated.
 Lighting circuits are dimmable, and 80% of the lamps are Energy Star CFL’s.
ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN®
domain

 The plumbing system utilizes a central-manifold plumbing system to conserve water and to equalize pressure throughout system.  Plumbing fixtures (lavatories, showerheads, and toilets) are all high efficiency fixtures.  A heat recovery system provides continuous ventilation of fresh exterior air into the home.  Individual forced-air registers are pneumatically controlled from the furnace room to balance airflow throughout the home.  The fireplace and energy efficient furnace are direct-vented, and the energy savingr water heater is power-vented.  Landscaping includes three rain gardens, drought resistant flora, and no-mow turf.  The driveway’s outer concrete bands slope inward, directing water to the permeable center section, with a crushed rock field below. Water then percolates into the lower rain garden.  The irrigation system includes a zone controller, drip irrigation, and a rain delay controller.

Exterior General Information:
Roof Shingles: Barkwood by GAF-ELK
Front Door: TruStile
Front Door Hardware: Baldwin
Garage Doors: 9700 Series by Wayne Dalton
Exterior Material: James Hardie Lap Siding
Mechanical System: Paul Stafford Electric
Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs): Extreme Panel Technologies
Interior General Information:
Floors: Hickory by Schaefer Hardwood Floors
Cabinets/Millwork: Timber Creek Cabinets
Paint Colors: BEN by Benjamin Moore
Fireplace: Sweet Dreams by Lopi
Fireplace Surround: Meredith Tile
Interior Door Hardware: Baldwin
Tile – Fireplace Surround and Kitchen Backsplash: Meredith Tile
Tile – Entry Hall, Mud Room, and Bathrooms: Baoding Slate, Copper Rust slate, Jinshan Bone, Jinshan
Caramel Baoding Crème Yuma, and Banning Listello by Tile Shop
Bathroom Fixtures: Kohler
Toilets: Karsten by Sterling Kitchen
Range: Kenmore
Hood: Vent-A-Hood, Stainless Steel
Microwave: Kenmore
Dishwasher: Bosch Integra 500 series
Ref/Freezer: Kenmore
Kitchen Sink: Blancowave Plus by Blanco
Countertops: Maple Butcherblock by John Boos
Laundry Washer/Dryer: Epic by Maytag
Countertop and backsplash: LG, Confetti Quartz

Design Team: Domain Architecture & Design®, Inc., Minneapolis, MN
LEED Consultant / Project Team Leader: Mike Everson, LEED AP BD+C
Landscape Architect: Brubaker Landscape Designs
General Contractor: Reuter Walton Construction

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Prefab LEED Home Focus of Green Magazine

Chicago’s green consumer magazine, Mindful Metropolis, released their January issue with an article focusing on the first prefabricated LEED home in the city of Chicago.  The project, which toured in December, is the focus of a two-page cover story discussing the evolution of prefab homes as an affordable green alternative.  The magazine has an interview with the architecture team of Jeff Sommers and Kate Votava, of Square Root Architecture, and their plan to replicate prefab homes across Chicagoland. Download the full article.

Another Chicago project was recently in the news, filmed by the ABC (Channel 7) News team. Tom McGrath’s Elemental Building is a gut-rehab project transformed into a high-end LEED Platinum home right in the heart of Bucktown. The project’s first move was to build a solar garage that could provide power for the construction team, and has some innovative reuse of materials.  Watch the video.

Have a newsworthy project you’re working on?  Be sure you’re on our Project List page and send us information.

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Musings on LEED and Passive House

LEED for Homes has always required ENERGY STAR (a HERS rating of 85) as a prerequisite, and rewarded increasingly low HERS ratings with more points in the rating system. However, significant changes in the next iteration of the rating system (LEED 2012) will be even more performance-oriented, which should play well to Passive House customers. Especially those customers who want not only energy-efficient performance and good IAQ, but also those that want to go beyond and incorporate broader aspects of sustainability into their homes. This is where Passive House and LEED become intertwined.

A recent project in MN demonstrates how LEED and Passive House currently work together. But with the ENERGY STAR v3 changes that went into effect January 1, LEED proposes to have a “target index” based on an “absolute energy metric”, representing the maximum amount of energy a home can use. The thought is that this would:

• Better reward envelope / component improvement and design decisions.
• Factor in permanently installed plug loads not figured into a HERS rating such as driveway /swimming pool / spa heating, permanently installed appliances, and more.
• Large homes will no longer be able to “buy” their way into a lower HERS rating with solar photovoltaic / wind energy systems.
• Allows a clearer comparison between New construction and Existing construction.

This represents a mind-shift in the way that USGBC wants the industry to think about residential energy, focusing on total energy consumed, for example, on a BTU per square foot basis. This metric works well with Passive House, which is also a performance-driven standard that focuses on a similar metric. In the United States, a house built to the Passive House standard results in a building that requires space heating energy of 1 BTU per square foot per heating degree day, compared with about 5 to 15 BTUs per square foot per heating degree day for a similar building built to meet the 2003 Model Energy Efficiency Code.

Question to the group: What are your thoughts on this? If you noticed, there is a LOT of conditional language above. The reason is that right now, the rating system is open for public comment until Dec 31, 2010. Here is a blog I wrote with more details.

So, what does this mean for Passive House? Well, if you or anyone else has a vested interest in Passive House and want to shape the future of how the program works together with LEED, we encourage you to voice your opinions. We also have a great summary of the changes to LEED for Homes.

Finally, for more details on the metric, look at the end of the rating system under Glossary. The “LEED MmBTu Metric” definition provides additional information.

We welcome informal comments below.

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Report Shows Increased Value of LEED Homes

In a newly-released report, the Green Home Institute () analyzed data from LEED-certified homes in the Midwest found that the homes averaged 40% less energy use and utility costs annually when compared to conventional homes.

LEED for Homes - Utility Savings and Value Report

LEED for Homes Case Study Report

From January through June 2010, the Green Home Institute () collected building energy performance data for research on the Energy Efficiency of homes certified to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, a green building certification that focuses on performance-based verification.

Report Methodology

The research compiled information from pre-occupancy energy modeling of 144 LEED-certified projects that were located in the Midwest from climate zones ranging as far south as Cincinnati to as far north as Minneapolis. The Data shows numerous advantages in energy reduction and costs in than baseline average homes measured by the same energy modeling system.

• All data is based on comparing pre-occupancy computer modeling data of LEED homes against non-LEED homes with a HERS score of 100 and does not in any way represent post-occupancy performance or actual savings realized through any home utility bills
• Kwh and CCF savings results may be skewed by unique systems installed on various homes such as; Renewable Energy, Geothermal heating/cooling, Propane, Electric Heating (Water Heating) and average regional energy prices.

This report does not cover the full benefits of a LEED-certified house because it only focuses on energy in regards to electricity in Kilowatt-hours and heating in CCF’s. Benefits not addressed include of the home’s water reduction, biodiversity, reduced risk of sick home syndrome, improved quality of life and comfort, reduced waste sent to the landfill, reduced urban sprawl and many other benefits associated with a LEED certified home. Because LEED homes are third-party verified,

Energy modeling was performed individually be the energy rater for each home, and in its nature is only a predictor of the building design case compared to the typical behavioral use patterns in the typical home in the typical climate zone, so true performance rates will vary.

Report Findings

After aggregating the data across all 144 LEED-certified homes, trends started to emerge. Homes that received the LEED for Homes third-party green building certification save 38% in energy use and save 42% in costs, with the following specific breakdown.

  • 28% less KWH’s with 32% electricity savings
  • 48% less CCF’s with 51% heating savings
  • 7 lbs C02 Emissions Reduced
  • 38 lbs Sulfur Dioxide Emissions Reduced
  • 28 lbs of Nitrous Oxide Emissions Reduced

We then further isolated groups to compare performance across different LEED certification levels:

  • LEED Platinum homes saw, on average, a 41% savings in total energy consumed and a 46% savings in total costs incurred.
  • LEED Gold certified homes save 46% in energy use and save 42% in costs.
  • LEED Silver certified save 29% in energy use and save 24% in costs.
  • Standard LEED Certified homes save 30% in energy use and save 30% in costs.

Utility Savings Across LEED Homes

We see above that a LEED-certified home will be in a better position when it comes to the consumption of energy, whether it be electricity or gas. By extension, these certified green homes also be in a better financial position, as the home will render less operational costs to its owner.  Annually, LEED-certified homes bring the following annual utility savings:

  • LEED Platinum homes saw, on average, $1,869 savings in annual utilities.
  • LEED Gold homes saved $1,026 in annual utilities.
  • LEED Silver saved $256 in annual utilities.
  • Standard LEED Certified homes save 30% in energy use and save 30% in costs.

An interesting note here is that the selection of LEED Silver homes were skewed as 23% of the homes in the study were affordable housing homes (e.g. Habitat for Humanity), all certified at the LEED Silver level.  These homes were generally smaller and more efficient, offering less savings in annual utilities.

Value of LEED Homes

Now if we think about the total cost of ownership for a property, we can take traditional inputs such as principal mortgage payment, interest on the loan, property taxes, and home insurance (PITI) and add in utilities to the mix.  This is the premise of the SAVE act, a pending congressional bill that would include utilities in the underwriting process. We can take the annual utility savings, and assume a 3% annual inflation rate (quite conservative – and less than the mortgage rate a property is likely to receive). Using a financial calculator to see the value over the life of the mortgage with this, we can see the contributory value of utilities, broken down by LEED certification level. The calculations are based on a real estate appraisal journal article:

  • LEED Platinum homes receive $88,919 in utility savings over 30 years.
  • LEED Gold homes receive $48,813 in utility savings over 30 years.
  • LEED Silver receive $12,179 in utility savings over 30 years.
  • Standard LEED Certified homes receive $54,188 in utility savings over 30 years.

Conclusion

The value of the performance-based LEED for Homes standard is clear. LEED-certified homes reduce the total cost of ownership at every level of LEED certification, saving tens of thousands of dollars through utility savings, during a typical 30-year mortgage period. Given the average $2,500 certification cost for a single-family LEED home through , owners will typically have a payback period under 2.5 years.  Contact to help you through LEED Certification on your next residential green building project.

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LEED for Homes 2012: Overview of Changes

The first public comment period is open for LEED for Homes changes that will go into effect in 2012.  The comment period closes at the end of this year – Jan 14, 2011.  You can download the full version at but as a LEED for Homes Provider, has distilled some of the highlights for you.  This information comes from the LEED for Homes Specialty Update given Nov. 19 at Greenbuild 2010.

Implementation Timetable: (all dates approximate)

First Public Comment:  NOW  through Jan 14., 2011 download and comment
Second Public Comment:  July 1  – Aug 15, 2011 (tentative schedule)
Revisions released for balloting: August 2012
Implementation: Nov 2012

Note: In addition to the public comment periods, ongoing feedback can be given online via the Stakeholder forum at LEEDuser.com

Let’s go through the major changes section by section.  It may be helpful to first download the LEED for Homes 2012 Scorecard

IMPORTANT NOTE:  The first comment period is for feedback on the concepts – there are no point values assigned until after the first comment period. Point values (indicating areas of emphasis) will be assigned and released in the second comment period in July 2011.

Overall Program Changes

  • LEED for Homes 2012 is designed to balance the need to move forward with the realistic capacity of the market to adopt and implement the changes.
  • LEED is designed to move the industry forward and will always be above code, as such it will use IECC 2009 as a baseline for energy performance.
  • Gone is the 136-point system, LEED for Homes will be normalized on a 100-point scale. Credit weightings will follow other LEED rating systems and align with EPA’s Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and Other Environmental Impacts (TRACI)
  • LEED for Homes 2012 is more performance-based than prescriptive. There’s even a new “Performance” credit.
  • Leverage and possibly integrate the Pilot credit library
  • Eliminate many of the “paperwork prerequisites”
  • Include regional credits, similar to other LEED rating systems
  • Removal of the home size adjuster and durability evaluation as these are included in ENERGY STAR version 3 (ESv3) as described below.

Locations & Transportation (LT) highlights

  • Aligned more with LEED for Neighborhood Development
  • New credits for VMT metrics such as community connectivity, location to jobs
  • Evaluating best indicators and tools that combine numerous credits, such as walkscore.com as alternate compliance paths

Energy & Atmosphere (EA) highlights

  • New combined point floor (minimum) between EA and LL to make the point that housing and transportation energy are increasingly intertwined as part of housing affordability
  • Linked to ESv3 protocol as a prerequisite
    • ESv3 must exceed IECC 2009
    • HERS score minimums will vary based on climate, typically 76 – 78 will be minimum
    • ESv3 has new HVAC installer checklist
    • ESv3 has new water management checklist (replacing LEED-H durability checklist)
    • Includes a home size adjustment (replacing LEED-H home size adjustment)
  • Change from the HERS rating to an absolute energy metric, representing the maximum amount of energy a home can use.  This will:
    • Better reward component improvement and design decisions
    • Factor in permanently installed plug loads not figured into a HERS rating such as driveway /swimming pool / spa heating, permanently installed appliances, and more.
    • Large homes will no longer be able to “buy” their way into a lower HERS rating with solar photovoltaic / wind energy systems. The home must have equal or lower heating, cooling and domestic water heating.
    • Allows a more clear comparison between New construction and Existing construction.
  • This represents a mind-shift in the way that USGBC wants the industry to think about residential energy, focusing on total energy consumed, for example, on a BTU per square foot basis. (which works better with LEED homes also pursuing Passive House). For more details on this metric, look at the end of the proposed LEED for Homes rating system under Glossary. The “LEED MmBTu Metric” definition provides additional information.
  • Credit for a solar-ready design (adding active solar thermal or PV later)

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) highlights

  • ASHRAE 62.2 still a requirement
  • New credit for low-emitting products
  • Any multi-family building required to be compartmentalized
  • Smoking prohibited in all common areas, credit for banning smoking throughout MFU buildings

Water Efficiency (WE) highlights

  • All irrigation credits now located here (no longer split with sustainable sites)
  • New indoor water calculation with prescriptive options provides an opportunity for exemplary performance
  • Multi-family buildings required to have water submetering
  • Performance testing via Watersense for Homes an option

Materials and Resources (MR) highlights

  • Eliminate credit for factory framing – must be advanced framing either on-site or off-site.
  • Credit for designing for ADA adaptability.
  • Significant changes to MR 2.2. – items that can earn EPP credit are minimized to just the major building components.

View the LEED for Homes 2012 Scorecard

LEED for Homes 2012 offers a number of changes to the rating system, and LEED will continue to help set the standard on what it means to design and build a third-party verified green home.  Download and comment on the new LEED for Homes 2012 proposed changes.

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City of East Lansing now covers LEED for Homes Certification Costs

City of East Lansing
Green Building Incentive Policy
November, 2010

The City of East Lansing recently adopted an innovative Green Building Policy which requires new municipal construction to attain the U.S Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification. The policy also requires new private development receiving municipal incentives to achieve certain levels of LEED certification. This policy’s goal is to incorporate green building principles into the design, construction and operation of new buildings within the City.

In order to further this mission, the City recognizes the need to provide incentives for projects which do not receive municipal incentives through the existing Green Building Policy. This Green Building
Incentive Policy shall:

1) Apply to new single family and commercial construction projects which do not receive financing incentives through the existing Green Building Policy.

2) Create an annual incentive fund not to exceed $10,000 whose monies will be derived from  a combination of water, sewer and general funds.

3) Ends on December 31, 2012, at which time it will be reviewed to determine the ability to further fund the program and to analyze its effectiveness.

New construction projects which are eligible under this program may apply for a incentive funds which will be awarded after the successful completion of the project and certification of LEED status by the US Green Building Council. The amount of funds provided will be awarded as follows:

• Projects receiving LEED “Certified” or “Silver” status: $1,300
• Projects receiving LEED “Gold” or “Platinum” status: $2,600

A maximum of $10,000 per year shall be available and reimbursement is subject to availability of funds.

This policy shall be administered by the Department of Public Works who shall be responsible for marketing the program, developing application procedures, and providing an incentive award to participants who have satisfied the requirements of the program when funding is available.

East Lansing also provides incentives for tax increment financing funds, Brownfield redevelopment funds (Worth LEED points), community development (Worth LEED points)block grant funds.

For more information Contact:

Dave Smith
Environmental Specialist
City of East Lansing
517 337-9459
dsmith@cityofeastlansing.com