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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

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Free webinars on ENERGY STAR ver 3

Builders of ENERGY STAR for Homes will need to learn more about Energy Star v2.5 going into effect January 1, 2011, as it leads us to v3.0 as well as Energy Star Indoor Air Quality options. Changes are coming – now is the time to learn how those changes impact your building model for 2011. Especially with the integration of ESv3 into the new LEED for Homes 2012 requirements.

ENERGY STAR Webinars

To register, click on the corresponding date and time below and complete the registration form.

TITLE DATE AND TIME OVERVIEW
ENERGY STAR Version 2.5 for Builders Wednesday, December 1, 2010; 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. ET Learn about the transitional specification, Version 2.5, in which homes must follow the Version 3 requirements with some exceptions in order to increase the rigor of the specifications while helping partners successfully adapt to the complete Version 3 guidelines. This webinar will focus on the technical details of v2.5, the implementation timeline and new resources from ENERGY STAR.
Indoor airPLUS and ENERGY STAR v3 Wednesday, December 15, 2010; 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. ET ENERGY STAR has helped transform the homebuilding market for energy efficiency. Now, ENERGY STAR Version 3 is rolling out and Indoor airPLUS is a pathway for one of the four inspection checklists. Learn how the Indoor airPLUS verification checklist can be completed as an avenue for the Water Management System Builder checklist. This webinar will focus on the details of the checklist and the increased emphasis of indoor air quality and moisture management in ENERGY STAR Version 3.
ENERGY STAR 101: Introduction for Builders Wednesday, January 12, 2011; 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. ET Learn how ENERGY STAR can help homebuilders eliminate competition from existing homes, compete more effectively against other builders, and reduce risk. Builders who join this session will learn how they can use ENERGY STAR to build better homes and sell them more effectively, in addition to how they can get started with ENERGY STAR.

 

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Northbrook’s First LEED Home – Permit Rebate

This article republished from patch.com

As the first planned green home in Northbrook, the 4,500-square-foot, 2-story, 4-bedroom house will take advantage of the land’s orientation and unique flood, solar, and energy conservation characteristics. The home’s owner and general contractor is Ihab Riad, owner of Green Park Construction, a builder of luxury custom homes. As the first LEED-certified home in Northbrook, Mr. Riad expects to receive a rebate for the building permit fee, given Northbrook’s green building incentive program.

Riad, who currently lives in Mt. Prospect, hopes to showcase what can be accomplished with sustainable design and construction through this project, he and his family’s new home. Green Park Construction has already submitted design drawings for a preliminary LEED rating for the project. The LEED system gives credits for several different “green” metrics of a building, including energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, recycled content, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. Riad said initial estimates put his home at a LEED-Silver rating, and if he achieves some disputed points it could even achieve LEED-Gold, the second-highest rating the USGBC bestows, just below the net-zero energy rating of LEED-Platinum.

“We won’t be surprised if it scores higher (than silver),” Riad said. “We have a lot of innovation points from some of the systems we’ll be using, such as geothermal heating, but the goal is not to do these things just to get LEED points, we’re doing it because it’s the right thing to do.”

Riad was born in Egypt and moved to Mississauga, ?Canada, at the age of 16. Growing up in our neighbor to the north instilled a lifelong belief in environmentalism and green architecture, he said, a focus that is interwoven with his career in real estate and construction. The home was designed by Mark Rupsis, principal of Rupsis Associates in Shorewood.

“We embraced new ideas in the design stage,” Rupsis said. “Using geothermal, structural insulated panels and some of these other technologies are much different than conventional design, but actually quite easy once you know how all the pieces fit together.”

Structural insulated panels, or SIPs, are a composite building material. They consist of an insulating layer of rigid polymer foam sandwiched between two layers of structural board. The rigid insulation core of the SIP acts as a web, while the outer sheathing insulates. SIPs are unique because they combine several components of conventional building?such as studs and joists, insulation, vapor barrier and air barrier—into one material. They can be used for many different applications but are mainly being applied as a continuous air and vapor barrier on Riad’s house. All of the exterior walls will be SIPs or precast concrete panels. This continuous air barrier is designed to keep the cold out and keep heat pumped up from deep underground via the house’s geothermal heat pumps, in. The plans also call for highly insulating Anderson 400 series windows, bamboo flooring throughout and a Superior Walls foundation made of precast concrete. This will be the first home project in the Midwest where SIP walls were used with a Superior Walls foundation.

Riad is taking advantage of construction efficiencies made possible by these technologies. All of the SIP walls and precast pieces will be built in a factory and delivered to the site ready for installation.

“The first floor walls take two days to put up,” Riad said. “The second floor walls will be in up in a month. We’re expecting one to two days for the installation of the foundation, as well.”

By using these delivery methods Riad can take advantage of construction waste reduction credits available in the LEED system as well as innovation credits that could contribute to a LEED-Gold rating. Riad expects the roof and all of the walls to be installed and completed by January and the home ready to live in by August 2011.

Riad had nothing but good things to say about working with the Village of Northbrook’s Planning Department to approve his unconventional home.

“Our staff had to do research on these emerging technologies to make sure they were compliant with codes,” said Tom Poupard, director of planning and development services for the Village. “Most of our codes include performance-based standards, so as long as we can get documentation that a new approach meets or exceeds our requirements and does not cause  some other problem, such as flammability, it is going to be fine.”

Poupard said the primary way in which the Village encourages green construction is by means of its LEED building program, wherein building permit fees are rebated to the homeowner after a home is certified by the USGBC. Since this is the first residential permit approved, Riad will receive a 100 percent rebate of the fees upon certification.

This article republished from patch.com

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Public comment for the next LEED, and new ID credits

LEED has had its share of detractors lately whether it be concerns over post-occupancy performance, alignment with ENERGY STAR version 3, collaboration with Passive House, or the impact of green buildings on human health. There are many voices that have talked about ways to improve the LEED for Homes rating system.

Now, those looking to shape the future of green building have through the end of the year to make their voices heard.  All versions of LEED, including LEED for Homes, will be finalized in 2011, due to launch in just over a year at the beginning of 2012.

Here are the details:

Public Comment: LEED Rating System Development is now under way for all LEED Rating Systems, including LEED for Homes, with 1st public comment period open from now until January 14, 2011

Pilot Credits: Pilot Credits 9 & 28-38 are Homes credits currently in public comment, but also available for any project team’s immediate use through the Pilot Credit Library as ID credits on your active projects. Please note, in order to use Pilot Credits, the project team must register in advance of certification submission. It will then be reviewed like other ID credits during your project’s certification review.

These specific pilot credits for LEED for Homes and LEED Midrise include:

Since LEED is a consensus-based standard, it is up to you as professionals, practitioners, vendors, or other interested parties to provide comments during the public comment period to help shape the future. Add your voice and help shape the future of LEED.

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The Isabella MN Ecologically Balanced Building goes to the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center

Imagine that every building maintained the ecological balance needed to sustain life on earth. Then, imagine all of humanity motivated to take action, to make this dream a reality. An immensely complicated goal? Maybe. But if we put our fears of failure at the back of the bus, we will maximize the possibility of success.

View & Download Project Profile Here

An immensely complicated goal?  Maybe.  But if we put our fears of failure at the back of the bus, we will maximize the possibility of success.

Nature has provided us with many examples of “buildings” that achieve an ecological balance.  If we follow her example, it is indeed realistic to believe we can prevail.

An Ecologically Balanced Building (EBB), then, is the most advanced building possible for our times because it strives to replicate the ecological balance found in nature.

An EBB incorporates a multitude of interrelated, smart design choices, resulting in a building that virtually lives and breathes, is beautifully balanced, aesthetically pleasing, and is socially responsible and sustainable.  It must meet the following criteria:

1.       Generate more clean energy than it uses.

2.       Sustainably manage the use of water.

3.       Waste nothing.

4.       Adapt to new conditions.

5.       Work symbiotically with all other living things.

6.       Eliminate toxins and pollutants.

7.       Add beauty & justice to our world

We have the technology and the building science to achieve these lofty imperatives.  Fortunately, we are also able to monitor, measure, and verify claims that a building actually accomplishes its intended goals.  If we can’t prove our claims, they are meaningless.

The Isabella EBB Project’s initial goal was to create the most environmentally conscious building possible.  It targeted integrating all seven design criteria listed above.  Additionally, each criterion is monitored, measured and verified to prove, we can indeed live in balance with nature.  Following is a description of how the Isabella EBB Project integrated the design criteria:

1.        The Isabella EBB Project was designed to consume an annual energy load of 4.5 kBTU/sq-ft. It achieved Passive House Certification, (HERS rating of 3), as the design method to achieve this extremely low energy use index. This is similar to having a 200 MPG car in lieu of our standard a 25 MPG car. There are 9,700 Heating Degree Days in this climate zone & 189 Cooling Degree Days.  This was accomplished through the design and construction of thermally broken/R 55 walls and R 90 roof, the use of high performance windows with glazing selected specifically to optimize the solar gain for each orientation and an air tightness of .5 air changes per hour.  Using BTU meters on the heating distribution system, the system is to telling us if the design loads are being met.

2.       Because extreme measures were taken to reduce the energy loads for this building, renewable energy generation produces more energy than is needed to operate the building.  An 11,000 kWH per year PV system/8.4 kw peak load and 92 solar heat collecting vacuum tubes averaging 172,500 BTUs per day collect renewable energy. An experimental long term solar storage area using 16 inches of EPS  insulation on all six sides contains both waste taconite from mines and sand.  Excess solar heat collection in the summer, fall and spring are stored in this solar storage containment area under the building.  The monitoriong system is gathering temperatures of the containment area, the Kwh generated and used  and kBTUs for the collection system.  We hope to prove that we are producing more clean energy than we use and that this solar storage system can be scaled down for use in other buildings.

3. Two additional areas used for solar storage: a 500 gallon water tank and an 80 gallon domestic hot water tank.  These are also being monitor and measured to tell us how hot they are and how many days of cloudy conditions depletes the stored energy supply.

4. A small electric boiler is used for backup energy should the building need it due to depletion of solar energy.  This boiler is also being monitor to tell us if it is being powered on.  This has already proven to be a great diagnostic tool, as it told us that the relays and sensors were not properly sequenced because the boiler was turning on whenever the domestic hot water dropped a few degrees.

5. A Heat Recovery Ventilation System makes sure that the building and occupants are receiving the right amount of fresh air at the right temperature.  An innovative ground loop heat recovery system is connected to the HRV to preheat the outside air prior to being heated by the exhaust air from the building.  The success of preheating  the incoming sub zero temperature fresh air with heated water from the ground near the footings of the building is being gathered by the monitoring system.  We hope to discover a 10 to 15 degree preheating of temperature through this system.

6. A rain water collection system and vegetative roof assures that water continues to perform its job of replenishing the aquifers and supporting plants and animals that conversely support an ecologically balanced building.

7. Information being stored through the use of the monitoring system is allowing the building to be adapted to new conditions and future improvements. Security alarms, for example, are sent when power, pumps, temperatures or water levels are not performing as intended.  Historical data gives us the ability to adjust and improve the performance due to accessibility to baseline and historical data.

8. An extreme waste and material management system was incorporated in this EBB.  Sustainable & reclaimed wood products, fast growing bio-fiber products, repurposed materials (e.g., old doors for ceilings, old radiators fins for guard rails, old wine barrels for chairs, old chalk boards for sills, and reclaimed tile), contribute to achieving zero waste and low life cycle assessment values.

9. Two highly recognized environmental third party auditing/certifications (LEED and Passive House) were achieved for this project, certifying the project at it the highest level possible.  This achievement summarizes that there were many other features, to lengthy to describe for this entry, that make this project one of the most advanced ecologically balanced buildings of our times.

10. Social justice and beauty are parts of ecology that acknowledge the value of spiritually engaging people through art  while also supporting  the notion of providing equal access and opportunities to all people.  The Isabella EBB project embraced adding beauty through the creation of a place that is welcoming, educational, inspiring, healthful, intriguing and fun.  The importance of social justice was a goal that surfaced during the learning experiences of the project.  Consequently, the project will be willed to the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, as an extension of their educational mission of teaching and influencing students the importance of living in balance with nature.

Isabella EBB Project Team

The critical success factors for the project team included:

1.    keeping the integrated design process alive and well throughout the entire projects development,

2.    checking  boiler plate designs at the door,

3.    if the project team achieved the goals stated above the points would follow and certification would provide the auditing needed to further validate our assumptions.

3.    understanding that everyone was on a ecological educational journey

4.    that fearless, open and honest communication  was mandatory, (typical passive/aggressive northern climate personality styles would keep innovation from reaching its potential).

Owner: John Eckfeldt eckfe001@umn.edu

Architect/Owner: Nancy Schultz, AIA LEED AP, nschultz@compassrose-inc.com

Energy Conservation Specialist:  Mikeal LeBeau, Conservation Technologies, Inc.  mlebeau@conservtech.com

Builder: Brad Holmes, Rod and Sons Carpentry, mooshed2@msn.com

Electrician/Designer: Justin Bartuss,  voltage@q.com

Mechanical Engineer: Bill Gausman PE, Monitoring and Verification System, bill.gausman@peopleselectric.com

HVAC & Plumbing Contractor: John Hill, Heating Plus,   heatplus@frontiernet.net

Landscape Architect: Gus Blumer, SEH,  gblumer@sehinc.com

Green Rater: Jimmie Sparks, The Neighborhood Energy Connection, jimmie@thenec.com

LEED Provider: Mike Holcomb, Green Home Institute, mike@homeinspectorgeneral.com

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Ribbon Cutting: Muskegon’s First-Ever, Student-Built LEED Certified Home

The Construction Trades – LEED program at the Muskegon Area Career Tech Center (MACTC) will celebrate its first- ever Silver LEED Certified home on Thursday, October 28, 2010, with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 3:00 p.m.  The home, at 2543 Chestnut Trail in Muskegon, was built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Standard, under the providership of during the 2009-10 school year.

Immediately following the ceremony, all are invited to travel a few blocks to the MACTC Fall Open House at 200 Harvey Street.  Visitors may explore the facility, meet school staff and students, view equipment demonstrations, and enjoy door prizes and refreshments until 8:00 p.m.  Both events are open to the public.

For more information visit www.muskegoncareertech.com or call (231) 767-3613.

About The Muskegon Area Career Tech Center

Opening in January of 2005 to serve juniors and seniors in the Muskegon Area. This “world class” training center provides our students with the opportunities to ensure their success in their occupation of choice. The 58,000 square feet Career Tech Center (CTC) is located at the corner of Harvey St and Stebbins Rd on the northwest corner of the Muskegon Community College campus. The CTC site is home to 16 different programs.

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Durability Planning and Prerequisites in LEED Homes

Those familiar with the LEED for Homes rating system know there are many prerequisites that all projects must meet prior to Certification. These are spread across the credit areas, so there are prerequisites in Indoor Environmental Quality, Energy, Materials and Resources, and more.

One area that is a bit confusing is the Innovation and Design prerequisite for Durability Planning and Management (ID  prereq 2). This is a two-step process to help ensure homes are durable and built to last by mitigating any local climate variables on the home.  The first step is to identify risks, and the second is to identify strategies to address those risks. For example, if the home is being built in an area with high air infiltration, heat loss, and water infiltration, what design and construction strategies are being used to mitigate these issues?

Flooding impacts a building's durability

Often times, these durability strategies are common to local building practices and are already being planned by the project team (e.g. attention to window flashing details, moisture management, etc), but in a LEED  home, the project team is taking these strategies and mapping them to specific risks.  With this kind of attention and the third-party verification most LEED homes pursue (ID 2.3), you can see why home insurance companies are willing to give premium discounts for LEED-certified homes.

There are also design and construction practices that affect the durability of the home and potential health of the homeowners inside the home, particularly related to moisture management. As such, the LEED for Homes checklist has several durability strategies that are pre-filled for the project team. These are basically hidden prerequisites in the rating system within ID 2.1. Some examples include:

  • Carpet is not allowed within 3-feet of an egress door.
  • HVAC distribution system must be fully ducted (no wall or floor cavities can be used as ducts).
  • Paperless drywall required around tubs/showers (not “green board” drywall).
  • Washers in or above finished spaces must be on drain basins or have a “single-throw” laundry valve accessible to the occupant.

Many of these items are common sense practices that quality builders have been doing for years. Nevertheless, all LEED homes must meet these specifications.  They can be found on the “Durability Inspection” tab of the LEED for Homes checklist.

While talking generally about Prerequisites in LEED for Homes, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the common ones that may be easy for project teams to miss:

  • Carbon monoxide detectors required in each unit on every level. (IEQ 2.1)
  • In split-system air conditioners the refrigerant charge must be weighed in the field. (EA 11.1)
  • Kitchen range hoods must be ducted to the outdoors. (IEQ 5.1)
  • Bathroom exhaust fans must be Energy Star rated and ducted to the outdoors. (IEQ 5.1)
  • Manual J & D calculations (or equivalent) must be done room x room for duct sizing. (IEQ 6.1)
  • Any fireplaces and woodstoves must have doors (IEQ 2.1)
  • Site erosion controls must be in place during construction (SS 1.1)

The list above is just a partial list – there are more prerequisites in the LEED for Homes rating system. This is just a sample of some that we have seen project teams question or miss.

As you can see, the project team needs to put a lot of thought into the design of the homes to help ensure every LEED-certified home is durable and built to last for many, many years.

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Greenbuild Affordable Homes Tour: 11/20

Affordable and Green: Greenbuild Legacy Home Project

November 20, 2010
8 a.m.-1 p.m.
Early: Member $45/Non-Member $45
Regular: Member $65/Non-Member $65

Organizations like Habitat for Humanity have been successful in providing affordable housing to families they determine can handle the financial and maintenance obligations of the new homes they build. The anticipated energy and maintenance costs of ownership figure prominently in qualifying potential future homeowners. This project is designed to demonstrate, through the cooperative effort of various local consultants, product manufacturers, and volunteers, the idea of next-generation affordable housing. The combination of durable, long-lasting, sustainable materials will provide a safe, secure and efficient living environment that will substantially reduce maintenance and energy-related operation costs for the designated Habitat for Humanity family. Through this redefining of best practices for affordable housing, more families can be qualified for homeownership through the benefits of reduced ownership costs.

Register under “Green Building Tours” at the official Greenbuild Registration Page.

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USGBC Cuts Prices on Materials

Good news for those seeking authoritative green building information on a budget – the USGBC has discounted all educational publications by 20% through the end of the month!

If you’ve been thinking about taking the LEED Green Associate exam and want to purchase the USGBC study guide, or you’re embarking on a LEED for Homes project and need a Reference Guide – this is the chance to get one at a great discount!

You’ll receive 20% off any publication or education simply by entering a promotional code at checkout: FALL2010

Details at USGBC.org

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