Tag: leed 2012

LEED for Homes 2nd Public Comment Period is now open.

Post author By admin
Post date August 4, 2011

It is important that all residential stakeholders comment on the proposed changes to the LEED for Homes rating system. This is your chance to shape the LEED rating system, which is traditionally voted on by a predominantly commercial group. needs you to give feedback and help USGBC balance the need for progress with the realities of implementation to keep this a relevant rating system. These changes are currently slated to take effect in the Fall of 2012. has highlighted specific issues that need your input below:

What version of Energy Star should be used?

Energy Star Version 3 (ESV3) is currently proposed as a perquisite in the LEED 2012 rating system. is concerned that Energy Star Version 3 will cost projects roughly $7,000 more to implement and will not be cost effective. recommends that LEED 2012 use the HERS score as an alternative compliance path for the performance path in EA prerequisites, and reward extra points to those pursing ESV3. Energy Star Version 2 will still be the standard until LEED 2012 goes into full effect, despite Energy Star changes on 1/1/12.

What about LEED for existing homes?

The requirements for ESV3 effectively eliminate any existing home gut rehab projects from obtaining Energy Star certification. If LEED 2012 requires ESV3, then no existing homes will be eligible for LEED certification.

We Need Your Support

encourages all who have interest in residential Green Building to comment on these changes by praising valid changes but also giving constructive criticism to measures that are not feasible in the market. USGBC will take into account strong, defensible, constructive comments that are reinforced with suggestions on exactly how the LEED Rating System should develop.

Below are several links to websites with details on the proposed rating system. We encourage you to review a summary of or the complete details for LEED for Homes 2012 changes. There is a 2012 LEED Webcast to get more information and have your questions answered by USGBC staff. After learning about all the proposed changes, please comment on each credit that is of concern to you.

Update Sept 10th. Other issues included:

1. General
Remove commercial structure and language. Align more closely with familiar LH 2008 structure and language.
Justification: additional complexity will result in a major loss of support infrastructure, and established project teams.

2. LT 5-9
Substantially reduce total number of LT points (i.e., reduce bias towards urban projects; enable more points for non-urban projects)
Justification:80% of new homes are built in non-urban areas. Only 1/3 of completed LH 2008 projects achieved any density credits.

3. EA p1 (EA c1)
Energy performance level should be substantially relaxed for entry level projects (especially market-rate average and large sized homes). Special consideration is needed to address the extremely weak participation (so far) from market rate housing.
Justification:Substantial growth in program will only be achieved if the entry level is defined at a performance level that the market-rate projects consider viable (i.e., cost effective).

4. EA p1: ESH v3
For Prereq, roughly align with ESH v3 only in terms of HERS performance level (i.e. exclude checklists). IMPORTANT: Make this both a prereq AND worth approx 10 EA points. (Note ESH v3 performance levels are not that different from energy performance levels of LH 2008 certified homes.)
Justification:Substantial parts of country will not be able to achieve ESH v3 requirements, partly due to complete void of trained HVAC infrastructure.

5. EA c1: LEED Index (MMBtu)
This proposed energy metric is confusing, complex, unproven, and not implementable (no standards and/or guidelines exist).
Justification:The market has not tolerance for additional complexity. Recent changes in Codes and ESH have overwhelmed the marketplace. Further, it is unprecedented for USGBC to create new national standards, rather than to adopt industry-developed/proven standards.

6. WE c1 (WE c2, WE c3)
Align WE performance and prescriptive path (same # of points in each pathway) – both indoor and outdoor.
Justification:The Prescriptive pathway provides a vital educational component to the LH Rating System – for new green residential projects. These projects are typically unfamiliar with green strategies and upgrade measures. They need to be explicitly in the LHRS.

Public Comment will close on September 14^th 2011.

LEED 2012 Homes Webcast Register for the LEED 2012 2nd Public Comment Introduction Webcasts. Free for members!

LEED 2012 Homes Rating System Drafts
Clean Version
Redline Revision Example Version

Summary of Changes
1st PC to 2nd PC
2008 to LEED 2012 2nd PC

LEED 2012 Scorecards
Homes
Homes Mid-Rise

Public Comment
Submit comments on any of the LEED 2012 2nd Public Comment Drafts

Download & Share the official PDF

Tags Green Public Comment, leed 2012, LEED 2012 Public Comment, leed for homes, LEED for homes 2012, LEED public Comment, LEED Rating System Change, Public Comment

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USGBC and Passive House Alignment

Post author By admin
Post date May 4, 2011

The US Green Building Council (USGBC) and Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) have released the following letter of alignment:

USGBC’s LEED for Homes rating system and Passive House standard are complimentary green building systems. Both programs share the goal of making the US building stock more efficient, comfortable and sustainable places to live. While the Passive House standard focuses primarily on greatly reducing the heating and cooling loads of the home, LEED for Homes also promotes efficient material use, site selection and development, and rewards projects that improve their water efficiency and indoor air quality.

A Passive House is a very well‐insulated, virtually air‐tight building that is primarily heated by passive solar gain and by internal gains from people, electrical equipment, etc. Energy losses are minimized. Any remaining heat demand is provided by an extremely small source. Avoidance of heat gain through shading and window orientation also helps to limit any cooling load, which is similarly minimized. An energy recovery ventilator provides a constant, balanced fresh air supply. The result is an impressive system that not only saves up to 90% of space heating costs, but also provides terrific indoor air quality.

LEED for Homes is a national, voluntary certification system, developed by national experts and experienced builders, that promotes the design and construction of high‐performance green homes and encourages the adoption of sustainable practices by the homebuilding industry.

LEED certification is based on 18 prerequisites and 67 credits across 8 credit categories. Beyond energy and indoor air quality, LEED for Homes also takes into consideration material selection, water use, site selection/landscaping, location to local amenities/mass transit and homeowner education.

USGBC works regularly with Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) representatives to further green home building nationwide. USGBC and PHIUS agree that building and certifying a Passive House is a seamless compliance path for LEED for Homes Energy and Atmosphere section, and that homes are beginning to achieve dual certifications. In fact, USGBC is exploring the incorporation of the Passive House Standard into future iterations of the LEED for Homes program.

Tags leed 2012, passive haus, passive house

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LEED for Homes 2012: Overview of Changes

Post author By admin
Post date December 1, 2010

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.

Tags ESv3, iecc, leed 2012

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Energy Star Homes to significantly change in 2011

Post author By admin
Post date July 23, 2010

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.

Tags codes, durability, energy star, iecc, ieq, leed 2012

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