ieq - GreenHome Institute

A LEED home in Palatine offers exemplary design details, intending to max out the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) section of the LEED for Homes rating system.

In a groundbreaking partnership with industry leaders in green design, Healthy Child Healthy World plans to create a real-life, interactive, educational model for healthier living. Healthy Home 2010: Designer Showcase & Tour will be a cutting-edge initiative that will raise the bar on sustainable design by focusing on healthier indoor environments. The home will be open to the public when completed in September and available for tours from September 25, 2010 through October 10, 2010.

Healthy Home 2010 will be the first designer showhouse in the nation to bridge the gap between traditional green building and healthy interiors by implementing a new interior design protocol developed by a distinguished advisory board consisting of industry leaders in sustainable design.
Healthy Home 2010 will be the first house in the U.S. to incorporate elements of the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute’s first-ever Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Management Plan for Residential Construction, a system for creating—from the ground up—buildings that contribute to healthier indoor air.

Located in Chicago’s northwest suburb of Palatine, the home will feature a wealth of sustainable design – from landscaping to building to healthful interiors – and will seek U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes certification. Each material and product used in the home will be pre-approved by Healthy Home 2010’s Interiors Advisory Board (IAB).

Members of the IAB, which will vet all materials, furnishings and products under consideration include:

-Penny Bonda, FASID, LEED AP, Partner, Ecoimpact Consulting

-Annette K. Stelmack, USGBC LEED Faculty™, LEED® AP, Sustainable Design Consultant, Educator, founder and principal of Inspirit-llc

-Leslie Gage, LEED® AP, GREENGUARD Environmental Institute

-Leigh Anne Vandusen, Owner, O Ecotextiles

-Jill Salisbury, principal and founder, el: Environmental Language

-Victoria Di Iorio, education outreach coordinator, Healthy Child Healthy World

Healthy Home 2010 will also seek to develop sustainable and healthful solutions via a collaborative build-and-design approach. Dior Builders and Susan Fredman Design Group will team up to bring together traditional green building with healthy, beautiful interiors. The Healthy Home will feature energy efficient products, innovative technologies, green building materials, and furniture and accessories that will help foster a healthful living environment and showcase some of the highest standards of environmental integrity.

Public tours and special events take place from September 25 through October 10, 2010. The home is open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m – 5 p.m and Thursday from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted in the case of special events. The home will also host tours during the Greenbuild Conforence and Expo in November. For additional information on the home and to purchase tickets for events and tours, please visit www.HealthyHome2010.com.

New Energy Star for Homes Guidelines

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the Version 3 Guidelines for ENERGY STAR® Qualified New Homes.

The new guidelines are quite a step up from the existing Energy Star guidelines, and specify two compliance paths. The prescriptive path applies only to homes that fall within the size limits of a Benchmark Home. Under the prescriptive path, the builder must meet the requirements of a reference design and mandatory testing requirements. The reference design requires insulation levels that meet or exceed the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) requirements, as well as setting forth standards for HVAC equipment, domestic hot water, thermostats, ductwork, lighting, and appliances.

The Mandatory Requirements for All Qualified Homes require professional third-party rating for thermal enclosure, HVAC, and water management. Many of these measures are currently being done now in LEED for Homes projects, such as the pre-drywall inspection and the Durability evaluation and third-party verification.

In the Energy Star v3 performance path, homes must meet a target score on the Home Energy Rating Service (HERS) rating scale, using RESNET-accredited home rating software as well as meeting the Mandatory Requirements and having all insulation, windows, doors, and skylights meeting IECC 2009. The new 3.0 guidelines go into partial effect for most new homes on 1/1/2011, and full effect on 1/1/2012.

On a related note, LEED for Homes is also planning a revision in 2012, which will likely go out for public comment this fall. Many of the optional performance tests in LEED for Homes, such as outdoor air flow (IEQ 4.3), bedrooms and kitchen / bathroom exhaust (IEQ 5.3) and air supply (IEQ 6.3) testing will be required as part of the Energy Star v3 changes. Keep your eyes open to see how the next version of LEED for Homes will take into account the Energy Star v3 changes.

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