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LEED is changing. Are you ready?

So here we are, October 2016.

Those of us in the green building world know this is a big month.

The universe’s largest green building certification program is about to do an upgrade. You knew it was coming for a long time, similar to a Windows upgrade; you know you need to do it, but you just have been so busy and pushing the “upgrade later” button. In 2014 you collectively pushed it for the last time and instead opted for a small upgrade that didn’t require a restart. But now, here we are in 2016 and the upgrade is coming and it has to come and so you might be scrambling the last min to make the preparations and make sure you are ready even though you don’t feel like you are!

The construction market is back up; green building is trending as a 80 billion dollar industry (soon), and now there is 400 ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere with no end in sight. Asthma and poor indoor air quality are on the rise and some cities Like Grand Rapids, MI where I am from, construction waste is reported to make up the largest portion of landfill waste.

LEED cannot solve all our environmental problems but can serve as a guide and standard when the time to act is now. Buildings and homes account for a majority of energy sources; their location can influence driving, and they have a big impact on our health.

The new version of LEED is going to be more difficult in many ways, more energy efficiency requirements (especially for rural or less connected projects), more thought will need to go into where you source materials from, where they are going at the end of their life and if your no VOC paint is certified to be so. For multifamily buildings we need to make sure apt units are communicating less to ensure occupant health and comfort, water pressure is being tested to reduce leaks and ensure flow rates work.

These changes are different, but they are good. The good news is for Homes projects; you will see a reduction in paperwork, no more chasing subs for signatures, no more durability plans required as it is all done in energy stare and just 1 signed workbook plus a few photos and energy reports. Another bonus is water performance calculations that allow the client to decide what is more important to them, similar to energy modeling and reduce in those areas (outside, kitchen etc)

If you aren’t ready yet that is ok, we are here to help you clear off your desktop before the upgrade restarts you construction process on 10/31.

Submit your project inquiry now, and we can help you get registered asap under v2008/2009. You won’t have to pay for 90 days, giving you time to secure funds or back out in Mid January if you cannot. No commitment.

Ready to take the plunge?

On November 2nd we are hosting 2 back to two back free CEU (APH) webinars on this topic.

The first webinar is a basic understanding of LEED for Homes and how it works(updated for V4) and the 2nd session 30 minutes after is a comparison on the differences of V2008 VS V4 for homes Home, multifamily and Mid to high rise mixed use buildings.

Sign up now as space is limited!

Finally, if you want to get the full education, check out our recently launched understanding LEED for Homes V4 on demand series where we take a deep dive in each of the categories (energy, EQ etc) and compare the differences of 2008 vs. v4

Thank you for your commitment in marking homes healthier and more sustainable! 

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Indianapolis Restored Home Gets LEED Platinum & Sells Fast!

This home located on Elm St. in Indianapolis, IN was an abandoned space, built in 1910, that was bid on for redevelopment through the Southeast Neighborhood Development (SEND) organization’s Transfer and Transform program, which seeks to reinvigorate the community

Elm St. PIC

“William Wagnon of Green Path Homes  had been looking for an opportunity to do a LEED Platinum certified redevelopment on a house that could serve as an example of green building for contractors, home owners and a city in need of sustainability.” The house on Elm presented a perfect opportunity to showcase the economic viability of a green project as well as its added health and enjoyment benefits.

Elm St. B4 INT

No subsidies or donations were taken to help the project along. “We wanted to do it as a market-rate project so that nobody could make an excuse for not doing it. That’s the point I wanted to make,” Wagnon said.

“The house now features around $7,000 worth of insulation, putting the home’s heating efficiency well-above most standards. The floor plan was changed to allow for a contemporary living style. Raised ceilings and other space improvements provide for maximum storage in the home. A rain garden now sits at the front of the house fed by a drain pipe from the roof. The backyard deck looks out onto a single-car garage, raised planters for growing vegetables and a patch of lawn.” Additionally, 100% of installed plants were drought tolerant further reducing irrigation needs. In total, the outdoor water savings plus the water savings due to the indoor installation of highly efficient faucets, showers, and toilets etc. results in a monthly water savings of 69% based on total water use. We were able to utilize the V4 Homes Workbook: Water Reduction Calculator to derive this number. A copy of the information is attached to the project profile at the bottom of this post.

Elm St. B4

The small 960 sq ft. 2 bedroom 1 bath home is located in an area with outstanding access to community resources such as public transportation. This well sealed home uses energy efficient appliances and  is expected to save 47% on energy bills. Insulated piping adds to the efficiency of this home.

A central HVAC system equipped with an additional dehumidification mode adds to the health of the home along with the use of hardwood with a preference for FSC certified woods.

Elm St. INT PIC

So much care was put into this home on Williams blog he writes … “Walter, who has does the exterior sheathing, rigid foam insulation and now the siding work is putting flashing tabs behind each butt joint on the siding.  These joints will all be caulked, but it’s just a fact that caulk fails in a couple of years.  But with the flashing tabs, any water that penetrates is redirected right back to the outside.

Brad nailed every shingle of the roof by hand.  Yes, it takes much longer, but he knows each one is set.  In building the soffit end caps, he cut fairly complex pieces so it could be 1 piece of solid wood, instead of having multiple joints that would require caulking.”

LEED Label Elm

This project was the first residential home in the area to achieve the prestigious LEED Platinum certification.

Certificate(Final)

News Post Featuring this Project

http://www.nuvo.net/indianapolis/redeveloped-home-is-template-for-green-building/Content?oid=2567639#.UyCC7_ldWPM

Green Path Home Website and Blog

Download and share the project profile – PDF (Includes V4 water reduction calculator and EPA WaterSense Info)

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USGBC certifies 50,000th LEED Homes

Quoted text from ” http://www.proudgreenhome.com/article/226725/USGBC-certifies-50-000th-green-housing-unit-under-LEED-for-Homes ”

“Since its start in 2007, 50,000 housing units have been certified under LEED for Homes and 44 percent of those homes were classified as affordable housing.” “As one of the most rigorous green residential rating systems in the world, LEED for Homes is the standard against which all other such programs are measured,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “Despite its demanding technical aspects that set a high bar for green residential construction, LEED for Homes has also seen the broadest adoption among its peers — indicative of its position as the rating system of choice to guide the design and construction of healthier, high-performance homes.”

“Since the launch of the LEED for Homes rating system in 2007, the growth trajectory of the world’s most widely used residential green building program has been dramatic. From 392 housing units LEED-certified in 2007, the figure jumped to nearly 900 units certified within the year 2008 and nearly 3,000 certified within 2009. In 2012 and 2013 alone, USGBC certified more than 15,000 and 17,000 housing units, respectively.”

“Of the 50,000-plus certified units, 74 percent are within multifamily buildings, while 44 percent are classified as affordable housing. In addition, nearly 65 percent of the total units were certified in the past two years, a strong indicator of the continued momentum of the rating system. There are also more than 82,000 units under construction and in the pipeline for LEED certification.”

is excited to be apart of this movement. As an ordinal LEED for Homes provider we have certified nearly 4,000 of these homes with another 3,000 in the pipeline. Learn why LEED excites us.

“The continued growth of LEED for Homes is attributable to its many proven benefits, including enhanced property value, healthier indoor environments, and energy and water savings that average 20 to 30 percent. LEED-certified homes are third-party inspected, tested and performance-verified, offering homeowners and renters piece of mind that their places of residence are efficient, saving them money and also better for the natural environment.”

“In December 2013, USGBC also announced the LEED certification of its 20,000th commercial project.”

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WI Platinum 2.5k Square foot Home averages $30 energy bills

Thanks to Jetson Green for sharing this awesome post! (Article written by Christine Walsh on Nov. 28, 2013)

Architect Virge Temme of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin recently received the LEED Platinum for Homes certification for a private residence she designed near Gills Rock. The home was built by Bay Lakes Builders, and the plans were based on the collaboration of all members of the construction and design team so as to ensure proper integration of all systems. The electric and fuel bills for this 2,600-square-foot house were less than $30 per month on average during its first year. This is only the seventh home in Wisconsin to receive the LEED Platinum certification.

bilde

The building process started with the excavation of the meadow where the house stands, while the top soil was stockpiled and used for final grading later. Once the foundation was complete, the foundation forms were stripped and the below-slab plumbing and electrical runs installed. The builders continued with laying thermal tarp to protect the home from freezing rains. This was followed by the installing of under-slab insulation. All the joints were staggered and sealed in this process to prevent air movement between layers. Furthermore, all the penetrations through insulation were foam sealed, which protects against cold seepage and potential Radon gasses.

The roof was then installed, using 16″ I-joists to reduce thermal transmission and to provide additional insulation depth. The I-joists were placed directly over the studs below and the framed walls with studs at 24″ on center to reduce redundant top plate, which also reduced the overall framing materials need. The rafters were then screwed and strapped to studs to provide additional protection from wind. All the intersections were then foam-sealed.

To provide a continuous envelope 3/8″ OSB was added to the under side of rafters. Double 2-4 plates were screwed below the rafters to provide an electrical chase, eliminating the need for roof penetrations. The builders also used ladder framing, which greatly reduced the amount of redundant materials at wall-to-wall connections. Double-wall construction also eliminated thermal bridging and provided space for additional insulation.

The house has insulation values of R-45 for walls, R-60 for the roof, and R-30 for ground insulation. Together with passive solar orientation and specially-coated windows to introduce solar warming, and which also feature overhangs to protect from summer over-heating, there is no need for a furnace or a boiler for space heating.

foamsealing

construction

Other sustainable features of the home include:

– Sustainably-harvested framing materials
– Recycled/recyclable metal siding, roofing and insulation
– Drought-tolerant plants replanted around the home
– Rain gardens for roof runoff
– Only low- or no-VOC paints, adhesives and insulation were used to ensure better air quality
– Floors are made of concrete and sustainably harvested bamboo
– Only highly efficient appliances, lighting fixtures, and plumbing were installed
– The building process resulted in almost no construction waste

View LEED project Profile Here 

roof

siding

bambooflooring

concrete-flooring

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Greenest Home in West Michigan Certifies LEED Platinum

LEED Snapshot Main Photo

1 Hour Recorded Webinar Available Now – 1 AIA/GBCI

” In the 5 years I have been involved with and Regional Green Building Certified Homes, I think I can finally throw my 2 cents in the ring and call this the Greenest Home in West Michigan” – Brett Little, Executive Director

What make’s it the Greenest? For starters, Michael Holcomb – President/CEO and owner of Home Inspector General has called this “the tightest home I have ever tested.” It comes in at 0.44 ACH @50PA (for all you energy geeks). Michael has test 1,000’s of homes and buildings in the Midwest in his 20 years of experience so that is saying something.

Next, this project almost achieved passive house standards! Sam worked an experienced PHIUS rater “John Semmelhack” to use the advanced modeling software to design his house. The house tested below the air change requirements of Passive House but only made 7.20 KBTu’s as opposed to the required 4.75 ( Energy Geek Talk)  Sam’s reasoning’s  “The primary driver of that cost was the building geometry.  Since a primary objective was to build a barrier free home, we designed it all to be on one level.  This meant that the ratio of exterior wall and roof area to the floor area was not optimal for thermal design (of Passive House).  It was more important to us to have the barrier free design that to meet the PH requirements, though we came very close.  The only changes we made from the original PH design was to reduce the thickness of the perimeter walls from 22” to 19”, and specify a window that was not quite as high performing as the one that would attain the PH rating.” Sam told me that there was 99 year back on the window required to meet the standard (at that time).

3rd, First Zero Energy Home in West Michigan (if anyone wants to dispute that let us know!). Obviously we can’t officially call it Zero Energy without a year’s worth of data but we will keep you all up to date to see it makes it. The HERS score is not 0 but it is 18 which  is the lowest in West Michigan with A home in Stanwood and hour north getting a 12. There is a lot of mis-information out there stating that  a HERS of zero is required to be “Zero Energy” but in practice we see homes scoring HERS of 35 and  achieving Zero Energy.

Last, LEED for Homes Platinum Certification has been achieved. This requires 3rd party onsite verification that proves you the home is green through actual testing.

But, but… This project is in Lowell outside of an Urban Area and lacks community resources and connectivity. It’s true, the one place that this house poorly scores is in location efficiency. You can find data to support that reliance on automobiles is more costly and has more CO2 emissions than very well insulated home. Currently Sam is using the home as his office as well  as his living space and so he does not have to drive to an office in a far away location. He can grow alot of food on the site as well and eventually add more solar and purchase an electric car to power it with all Solar.

LEED Label for Sumac Grove Sam Pobst LEED certified Platinum

This must have cost millions right? 

“We spent $167.00/Square Feet, but if you add in O+P, Design fees, and my sweat equity, I estimate about a $200/ SF cost to construct.”

•         Gross SF                                            2010

•         Basement SF                                    851

•         Conditioned SF                               2547

•         Garage / Workshop                      621

•         $167/SF  Hard cost

•         $200/ SF Buildable cost

  1. + Overhead and Profit
  2. + Design fees
  3. + Sweat Equity

PDF Project Profile Details 

Further Resources 

Read back on Sam’s progress documented on his Blog and stay informed as he monitors the home’s energy use, durability, comfort, indoor air quality and water use. http://sumacgrove.blogspot.com/2013/01/certified.html

Sumac Grove certificate

  • Recorded 1 Hour Webinar on the entire project – 1 AIA/GBCI
  • Sign up for our mailing list  to stay informed on Spring 2013 Tours. Potential GBCI Credit
  •  2 Hour GBCI approved Film Series documenting the project from Start to post occupancy informed can be seen here for free
  • Contact with Questions Sam Pobst, BO+M, BD+C, Homes and ID+C, a USGBC LEED Faculty™
    Principal
    ecometrics llc
    P. 616.897.4967 C. 616.648.7493
    Email sam@ecometrics.biz
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Cottage Home Sets New Standard for Sustainable Lakefront Living

Using his home building expertise, Brian Bosgraaf started Cottage Home in 2000 specializing in building custom homes along Lake Michigan. Cottage Home has designed and built more than 70 custom homes along the West Michigan shoreline, including 13 LEED certified homes. In an interview with Brian, he expressed his passion for LEED certification and sustainable construction practices.

hen Brian and Jeremy vanEyk (Vice President) were asked about their commitment to building LEED, they responded that Cottage Home is committed to utilizing healthy, affordable, efficient, and durable construction practices that are already above code, energy star and even LEED at times. Brian says he considers LEED only one of the many tools in his toolbox. Other such tools include creative design, customer service, careful selection of materials, and creating a sense of place. In order to make it simple for the customer, Cottage Home uses a fixed price prior to starting construction which already includes LEED qualifications. This allows some of the cost of LEED certification to be absorbed by both the customer and through the Cottage Homes marketing budget.  Brian believes this method works due to his design and construction teams working together throughout the construction process, which creates a feedback loop that fosters constant improvement.  Including LEED certification into the final cost helps facilitate more sales than presenting each option with separate pricing.

Since many homeowners today are educated and concerned about sustainability and environmental issues,  many take time to study the details of LEED on the website of Cottage Home and take comfort in knowing LEED is a third party certification. Clients are aware of LEED’s achievements and credibility, and often wonder about how changes to the house affect the LEED certification level. Much of Cottage Home’s customer base is from the Chicago area where LEED is prevalent in their office buildings, and a result, many clients have experienced the advantages offered by LEED construction firsthand. These clients have often already invested in commercial LEED projects and are now ready to transition these same high standards to their personal lives. Jeremy decided to experience the benefits of LEED firsthand and chose to have his own house in Zeeland, certified LEED Platinum.

Building on the lake front comes with complications such as extreme wind loads, humid changes, temperature fluctuation, and other variables. To overcome these challenges, Cottage Home uses high performance home measures to control the entire process though design, build, and some maintenance which allows more control of green features. Cottage Home designs and builds what is right for each particular home which may result in homes varying in different HVAC, insulation, passive solar heating, and various climate control systems.  One particular feature that is commonly used in these homes, including Jeremys, is an ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator).   An ERV automatically exhausts stale air from the inside of the house and replaces it with fresh air from the outside.  Another key feature used in many of the homes is a geothermal system.  There are a few different types used, but all contribute to the energy efficiency of the homes in some way.  Several techniques are used to increase water efficiency in the homes, such as tankless water heaters, which only heat water when necessary, water collection systems to help with sprinking and irrigation, and faucets and showerheads that work with less water than traditional ones.  Insulation, as well as materials such as flooring, home furnishings and walls are all aspects that need to be carefully considered when building these homes.

As leaders in the industry we asked Brian and Jeremy what they saw in the future of design and construction. Jeremy believes that being able to evaluate the effectiveness of high performance systems and insulation through energy bills is important. Along with water collection systems to reduce storm water runoff and help irrigate the lawn.  Brian agrees that we should have a system to allow clients to ensure they are getting the most effective homes. He foresees homes that can be manipulated to meet the client’s needs at any given time. An example of this would be homes with the ability to accommodate a family of four, which can then transition to accommodate sleeping arrangements for twenty. Along with being able to better meet a client’s needs, he would like to see energy loads distributed to only sections of the house in use, as well as the ability for clients to control how energy is used throughout the home (on site and from satellite locations).  Cottage Home sees one challenge to moving forward with these ideas is getting sub-contractors to approach basic air sealing, insulation, proper HVAC sizing, and design aesthetics with an effective mindset. Cottage Home has established themselves as innovators and leaders in the design of luxury LEED lake front homes. They continue to partner quality, design and the environment hand in hand to produce sustainability along our beaches.

Quick Numbers – Average HERS Score 51 Average LEED score 75 

Learn & see more about their LEED projects below.

51 W. Central

Beach House on Monroe Blvd.

Fabun Road Cottage

Green Cottage at Suequehanna

LakeBridge Beach House

LakeBridge One

Monroe Beach House

North Beach Cottage

Northgate Lake Home

Pier Cove Cottage

Summer’s Gate 4 and 8

The Havens Cottage

Waukazoo Woods Residence

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New LEED for Homes Pre-approved ID Point

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 versions of LEED rating systems. Instead, this new ID point will be awarded if homeowners voluntarily enroll in the BPP program.  Ideally, this will eventually allow USGBC at the aggregate level to collect and analyze data to see how LEED homes actually perform post-occupancy.

Why would homeowner’s care? Well the partner USGBC is using for this event is Earth Aid, which actually gives consumers credit for saving on their energy costs as compared to other homes in their area. The more energy saved, the more points are accumulated that can be used at retailers and local vendors. Best of all, this service is free.

LEED for Homes project homeowners can sign up with Earth Aid here:

*Note – LEED projects must use that full URL as it is unique to LEED for Homes (you’ll see the LEED for Homes logo appear in the upper-left here, and after login, when you as the Rater are verifying this credit).

Here is the official ID language:

Approved ID Request: Utility Tracking
Maximum Points: 1

Intent
To provide advanced monitoring and reconciliation of energy and water use at the whole building and end use levels. To provide for the ongoing accountability of building utility consumption over time.

Requirements

Prerequisites
None.

Credits
The homeowner must enroll in the USGBC Building Performance Partnership (BPP) for all applicable metered utility accounts, prior to submitting for LEED Certification.

Verification and Submittals
Supporting Verification made available by the Project Team:

  • Present a screen shot of the log-in screen to verify the enrollment of each utility account in USGBC’s Building Performance Partnership.

Verification Team:

  • Visually verify that the project successfully enrolled each applicable utility (ie, water, gas, electricity) in BPP.
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Earth Day Marks Launch of 132-home LEED Subdivision near Chicago

Energy Smart Home Builders Joins the LEED for Homes
Green Certification Program

NEW LENOX, Ill. (April 22, 2010) – The Green Home Institute () is proud to welcome Energy Smart Home Builders of New Lenox, IL as a participant in LEED for Homes. LEED for Homes is a national third-party certification system for energy efficient, healthy, green homes. Energy Smart Home Builders, founded by Phil and Jim Regan, are planning to develop Prairie Ridge Estates, a community of 132 net zero energy homes using solar panels, geothermal power, wind turbines and other technologies. will be providing support and the third-party testing and verification for the green homes, which are planned to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

While net zero energy homes have been constructed previously, this is the first planned community of custom-designed net-zero energy single-family homes. More importantly, it marks the first time that the cost to develop a home of this type is comparable to traditional construction costs. “These homes have been built before, but at a cost of three to five times higher than traditional construction. That is not something the average home-buyer can afford,” said Jim Regan, president of Energy Smart Home Builders. “We’ve pushed the boundaries of construction and energy efficiency and, with our partners, are proud to have created plans for the country’s first community of affordable sustainable homes.”

Designed by architect John Stanton, these homes are quite different than traditional homes and, as a result, consume energy differently and more efficiently. “This is an incredible opportunity,” says Stanton, “to lower – or even eliminate – utility costs for future homeowners and reduce the impact on the environment through smart design and construction. These homes have been in the planning process for more than a year and we’re excited about getting started.”

Prairie Ridge Estates will consist of 132 LEED-certified homes, starting at approximately 2600 Sq ft in size, all including Energy Star appliances, individually custom-designed to account for passive and active solar energy, wind directions and enclosure issues such as window placement.

LEED stands for leadership in green homebuilding. LEED certification provides third-party assurance to homebuyers that their home complies with rigorous technical requirements for energy and water efficiency, indoor air quality, non-toxic materials, and environmental performance. Homes that are certified through LEED complete a technically rigorous verification process that includes a home energy (HERS) rating and onsite inspections. Lower insurance rates, advantageous financing, and other benefits may be available for LEED-certified homes.

A participant in the Department of Energy Builders Challenge and the Energy Star Program; Energy Smart Home Builders are proposing to break ground July 16 and expect construction of model homes to be completed later this year.

For more information about Energy Smart Home Builders or Prairie Ridge Estates of New Lenox, please visit www.NetZeroDevelopment.com.  Or find information on building a LEED home or LEED home benefits.

custom-designed net-zero energy single-family
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New Energy Code Aligns Well with LEED for Homes

On January 29th 2010, the Energy Efficient Building Act became effective in Illinois for most new residential construction and remodeling in Illinois.  What does this mean for builders and project teams in Illinois? If you’re going to be constructing to the new building code, you are implementing many strategies that can earn credit in LEED for Homes.

The new statewide residential energy code was signed into law on August 28th 2009, and covers new construction as well as remodeling. The Code applies only to the portions of that structure that are being added, altered, renovated, or repaired. Illinois joins states such as Iowa, Pennsylvania, Montana and California.

The Energy Efficient Building Act adopts the requirements of the latest edition of the International Energy Code, which is currently the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), also known as IECC 2009. Apart from a few exempted communities such as the City of Chicago, no local municipality has the authority to mandate energy requirements less than or greater than the requirements of the 2009 IECC.

So how does this new code match up with LEED for Homes? Well, the 2009 IECC reflects the good building practices people have been using to construct energy-efficient green homes such as a LEED home. In fact, IECC aligns very well with LEED for Homes prerequisites and the credit areas that earn points. Here is a matrix showing certain aspects of IECC and LEED for Homes:

LEED for Homes
IECC 2009
2 x 6 exterior studs or 1” rigid insulation (R-20)
Earn points
X
Insulation around foundation walls / slabs
Earn points
X
Ductwork must be sealed and tested
(Conditioned space / Unconditioned space)
X / X
— / X
Ducts in unconditioned space insulated R-8
X (R-6)
X
50% of lighting be ENERGY STAR lighting
Earn points
X
Gasketed doors on wood-burning fireplaces
X
X
Blower door test for air infiltration
X
Easiest option
Programmable thermostat required on forced air system
—
X

Remember, LEED for Homes is built on the successful ENERGY STAR for Homes program, and the lower the HERS Score, the more points a building can receive in the Energy and Atmosphere credit area of LEED. And ENERGY STAR for Homes currently references IECC 2006 rather than IECC 2009.

What does this mean for builders and project teams in Illinois? If you’re already constructing to IL state code, you are implementing many strategies that can earn credit in LEED for Homes. And if you’re doing a blower door test, you’re already doing some of the testing and verification required in LEED for Homes. So why not receive recognition for your work? Since the learning curve will already be much shorter, going through the LEED certification process will give your homes extra market recognition, as well as marketing power in northern Illinois’ green MLS.

By the way, for those that need to learn more about the IECC 2009 provisions, there are many training opportunities around the state of Illinois being delivered by ICCsafe.org.

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Tour a LEED for Homes Project on Dec 12

Ever wonder what goes into making a LEED Platinum candidate home? Now is your chance to tour a home going through the LEED for Homes program that is substantially complete. And best of all, the tour is free.

This unique project has been a labor of love by the homeowner, and includes features such as:

  • reclaimed copper roof
  • remnant stone from blast fragments as a facade
  • vegetative green roof
  • geothermal heat pump system
  • soybean spray foam insulation
  • super-efficient cold cathode lighting
  • solar photovoltaic panels
  • vertical axis wind turbine
  • Net zero power consumption

Illinois LEED for Homes project targeting LEED Platinum

Join us on Saturday, Dec 12 (following the Illinois Solar Energy Association membership meeting at 10:00 AM) for a tour of this unique green home located on the Northwest side of Chicago.

This home has not yet been certified, but a LEED Platinum level is anticipated.

Start Date: Dec 12, 2009
Start Time: 2:30
Price: FREE

Register for the tour on our Events page.

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