Specific information relating to a LEED for Homes credit category or other rating system component.

Durability Planning and Prerequisites in LEED Homes

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Flooding impacts a building's durabilityThose 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?  Read more

New LEED for Homes Pre-approved ID: Food Garden

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The White House isn’t the only residence earning accolades for having a food garden on its property.  With the newly-released pre-approved Innovation and Design (ID) credit, LEED for Homes projects that incorporate a food garden into the design will be eligible for an ID point, if certain specifications are met.

The intent of the Food Garden credit is to provide a functional and sustainable means of supporting the homeowner’s food needs. A project may earn credit for an on site food garden if Read more

Double-Up Points in MR 2.2 with Reclaimed Materials

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The Materials and Resources (MR) credit 2.2 is one of the more challenging areas of LEED for Homes to get a handle on. First of all, the unique aspect in LEED for Homes is that credit is awarded on a building component – by – building component basis. This is significantly different from other versions of LEED.  For instance, a project can earn credit just for flooring.

Additionally, there are many options for how a certain building component actually earns credit Read more

New LEED for Homes Pre-approved ID Point

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LEED for Homes project teams that sign up for USGBC’s Building Performance Partnership (BPP) are now eligible to earn an optional point in Innovation and Design (ID) point for Utility Tracking, which will be done via EarthAid.net.LEED for Homes BPP

For the residential market, providing performance data for energy and water usage after occupancy is not required as in other Read more

Deconstruction as Alternative to Demolition

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The LEED for Homes rating system rewards projects that are developed on sites that have been previously developed, and many project teams take advantage of good existing neighborhoods with access to transportation and services rather than building on raw land. Sometimes, a site is chosen where the existing structure is so damaged or functionally obsolete that it is necessary to start over.

In the past, these homes would be torn down in a matter of days, with tons of debris being sent to landfills. An increasingly common alternative to demolition is “De-Construction”. Read more