LEED Rating System
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It has been designed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) as a rating system for green building.
Green building refers to the design, construction, and operation of buildings in an environmentally friendly way. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
LEED is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
Who uses LEED?
Architects, real estate professionals, facility managers, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects, construction managers, lenders and government officials all use LEED to help transform the built environment to sustainability.
State and local governments across the country are adopting LEED for public-owned and public-funded buildings; there are LEED initiatives in federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Agriculture, Energy, and State; and LEED projects are in progress in 41 different countries, including Canada, Brazil, Mexico and India.
LEED For Homes
LEED for Homes is a rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes. A green home uses less energy, water and natural resources; creates less waste; and is healthier and more comfortable for the occupants.
Benefits of a LEED home include lower energy and water bills; reduced greenhouse gas emissions; and less exposure to mold, mildew and other indoor toxins. The net cost of owning a LEED home is comparable to that of owning a conventional home.
For more information about LEED, check out the USGBC website for more information.
To get a better understanding of home energy and do-it-yourself projects for energy efficient homes, visit Do-It-Yourself-Projects.info.
Filed under: Home energy efficiency | Tagged: energy efficient homes, home energy, LEED, LEED Homes, LEED system, USGBC, What is LEED
[...] the race for being certified as a ‘green’ building, LEED has been the certification of choice thus far, but some are not feeling so eager to obtain [...]