Green building is a recent addition to the new home market and a slightly older addition to the remodeling market. What does it entail? How do you know it is green? I get the above questions from my clients all of the time. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit that is interested in sustainable building design and construction. They have developed a rating system that assigns points in the categories of site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor air quality. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. In order to receive a LEED certification a project must go through an extensive process to amass enough credits in each of the categories. If a project has acquired these points, they may be designated as either LEED Certified, LEED Silver, LEED Gold, or LEED Platinum.
The best part about LEED certification is that it sets a standard for builders. It also educates the construction industry and public about ways to make your home or project more Green. People do care about the energy efficiency of their homes and the water conservation aspects of their home because it hits them right in the wallet. On the other hand, establishing and maintaining air quality in your home is a topic that most people would be interested in, but few people actively think about. The fact that organizations such as the USGBC do establish a benchmark and do care about the discussion really helps to bring these topics into the minds of the people making homes or remodeling homes.
Comments(4)