How does LEED for HOMES Work
1. Projects are Broken Down into Categories
- Innovation and Design Process – special credits for unusual things
- Location and Linkages – how does the home relate to the area around it
- Sustainable Sites – measures the project’s impact on the site
- Water Efficiency – measures water efficiency
- Energy and Atmosphere – measures energy efficiency
- Materials and Resources – how does it relate to the area around it
- Indoor Environmental Quality – reducing pollutant exposure
- Awareness and Education – are the occupants aware of the features
2. You earn points in each category for achieving certain criteria. Some categories have mandatory things you must do but otherwise you can earn points any way you want.
3. The total number of points for your project is compared to a standard based on the size of the house. The larger the house the more points you need to earn because larger houses use more resources than smaller ones.
4. The total number of points determines your level.
There are four levels:
- Certified (the minimum)
- Silver
- Gold
- Platinum
Few houses are just certified. Most certified houses reach the Silver level with lesser amounts reaching Gold or Platinum.
In the US currently, there are over 10,000 LEED for HOMES certified units. About 1000 new single family homes are LEED certified each year. Having a LEED certified house is still quite rare, only 0.2% of all the new houses built each year are certified.
In NY, only 10-15 single family houses are LEED certified each year.
