LEED Certification in Your Remodeling and Construction Projects
LEED is an acronym for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design and is a rating system of sustainable green building and development practices.
LEED is also a nationally recognized, third party certification system and accreditation program conducted by the U.S. Green Building Council that certifies building projects meet high green building standards based on performance and measurable results in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
When LEED was first created it focused on new construction only but The U.S. Green Building Council and the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) partnered together to create the REGREEN Program, which has created national green remodeling guidelines for existing homes so remodeling projects can also follow USGBC guidelines. To check out their guidelines go to http://www.regreenprogram.org
In the US, our homes are responsible for 21% of our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. In the United States , approximately 4 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent (almost 9,000 pounds) per person per year (about 17% of total U.S. emissions) are emitted from people’s homes. The three main sources of greenhouse gas emissions from homes are electricity use, heating and waste.
Formaldehyde is another gas emission from homes. It is emitted from many materials used to construct and remodel a home. Formaldehyde is a colorless gas. At elevated concentrations it has a strong, pungent odor and can be irritating to the eyes, nose, and lungs. Formaldehyde is released into the home from a variety of indoor sources. Some resins, or glues, used to bind wood chips or fibers into plywood, particleboard, and other pressed wood products, contain formaldehyde. Cabinetry and some floor and wall materials are often made from such products.
SOME COMMON SOURCES OF FORMALDEHYDE INDOORS
Pressed wood products: particleboard, plywood, medium-density fiberboard (MDF); often used in cabinetry, and wall and floor materials
Consumer Products: wallpaper, paint, coatings; often a preservative in these and other products
Coatings for Some Cabinet and Furniture Products: acid-catalyzed urea formaldehyde type finishes.
Combustion Appliances: wood stoves, gas appliances, kerosene stoves
Living in a green home means that you’re helping to stop the causes of climate change and using green materials and getting LEED certification in your remodeling and construction projects can help you not only be kind to the environment but also be kind to your body and your own personal health and there are also financial benefits to earning LEED certification too.
When you do a green LEED certification, not only are you doing something great for the planet and receiving environmental benefits like reduced greenhouse gas emissions and health benefits such as reduced exposure to mold, mildew, formaldehyde and other indoor toxins, you can also receive financial benefits such as lower energy and water bills and LEED certified homes may also be eligible for financial benefits such as lower fees for financing and lower insurance rates.
To learn more about LEED certification you can go to their website at: http://www.usgbc.org
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Eco Friendly, Go Green, Green Materials, Homes Renovations, House Remodeling, Remodeling, Remodeling Houses, Remodeling Project, Remodeling and Construction
Your article implies that one could certify and kitchen remodel. This is not correct. A home can be LEED certified if it is a complete gut or major remodel. LEED for Homes is designed for new homes. Commercial buildings that under go major renovations follow the LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations program. Homes being remodeled can follow the Re Green guidlines from the USGBC, but currently there is no certification for the program.
Hi Brian,
Thanks for your clarification on the subject.
Sounds like a great program, which results not only in a healthier environment but also those that live there.
LEED certified buildings have greater resale value in the future for builders of course depending on the level of LEED certification that is achieved. It just makes sense to be more eco-freindly in building projects and being LEED certified is definately something to be proud of as a builder.
Although saving the environment is great, I really like the savings on energy costs. I have a friend with a massive house that build 25 years ago. The fact it is not energy efficient costs him thousands each year. If his house was a LEED house he could easily save $600 a month.
Is there any information available about how much the upfront costs are to build a LEED certified home? In other words, to meet the certification, I am assuming you have to use materials and construction designs that are more costly up front. I know you will probably make this up in the long run on lower energy costs, but I needed to know the up front impact.
Hi Shawn,
Often green materials can be actually less expensive…. though that is not always the case…it just depends on the materials you select…..
To learn more about LEED certification you can go to their website at: http://www.usgbc.org
For the kitchen materials you could check out my eBook at http://www.remodelingreconkitchenplans.com This eBook covers all the materials for kitchen remodeling, including many green materials, what they cost approximately, pictures of what they look like in various remodeled settings and then direct links to the product companies and manufacturers.
It will definitely help you get a more realistic idea about what your remodeling project will cost based on the materials you select.
Hope this information at least partly answers your question…:)
This is a wonderful program to be involved in that can ensure that your house is green.
Hi,
Very useful Blog. Thank you for giving this good information. it was worth reading. Keep up the good work on your posts, I will keep checking back for more posts like this one. If you want check my site as well http://www.toolboxtales.com/
Thanks
Sofia.
Good post. I am very interested in making my home more green, especially since it is getting a little cheaper to do so.
I think LEED and LEED awareness is a step in the right direction. I know quite a bit of contractors and I know they are spotting more and more questions regarding this type of stuff. Thanks for helping spread the word.
I think every one constructing a house should get a LEED Certification. This is one good step towards protecting our environment. Thank you for the information.
-Mini
I agree 100%! if you are going to remodel, or build go green. find out if your state has energy efficiency programs, you can get money bcak for insulation. Use energy star appliances, and also flourecent lights.
I think this is great. i feel like this country is taking a lot fo steps in the right direction as far as getting the environmental hazard issues we cause addressed.
Environmentally (green) thinking comes after a country has reached a certain standard of living. People living in many industrialized countries and especially people living in post modern societies like USA (USA is regarded as a post modern country by many sociologists).
An earlier comment states “..green materials can be actually less expensive..”, in my experience they are not, however if you compare the quality, ‘green’ materials often hold good quality.
We’ve gone through the LEED certification process - whew! Not easy.
If you’re looking for more information about sustainability in general, be sure to check out this free (and non-commercial) resource about all things sustainable - MissionZero.org.
: )
Well this is just fantastic, and I think that more developers should have some thing like this in plan,and all should be going green.
Great article thanks for sharing.
LEEDS really sounds like the best place to start, and their ways that they have are marvelous. Going green is really the only way that we should be going and thinking
LEED for homes is just starting up. It will be interesting to see how many people apply for this and if it will help them when selling their home. I suspect it will, but will clients be willing to pay the costs upfront rather than put the money toward greener materials?
What’s better - demolishing an existing sound structure to build a green building OR remodeling a sound structure using the Regreen methods?
Thanks for the informative post. I had no idea that formaldehyde was so common in homes. Has anyone out there found a good eco-friendly alternative?
Where do I find the cheapest wall panels are? I would like wall cladding for new home - cheers!
I run a small electrical service company in the Ohio Valley (Cincinnati area). how can we become green? Is there any ways for an electrician to be green?
Thanks
Is it true that LEED does not apply to home remodeling? I’m assuming it doesn’t unless it is an instance where the home is completely “gutted” down to the framing and practically rebuilt. Hopefully LEED adjusts because I would like to have my existing home certified.