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Energy and Atmosphere
Energy and Atmosphere is the largest section in the LEED for Homes Rating System, accounting for 28% of the total possible points (see post on LEED for Homes Categories). Critics of the LEED Rating system often argue that it focuses too much on energy efficiency....
WE 3 – Indoor Water Use
This last sub-section in the Water Efficiency portion of LEED for Homes gives points for water-efficient fixtures and fittings. According to the Reference manual, faucets, showers, bath and toilets typically account for 2/3 of a home's indoor water use. Installing...
WE 2.3 – Reduce Irrigation Demand by 45%
This credit goes together with SS 2.5, which awards points for reducing irrigation demand by 25%. This "performance-based" approach requires a higher level of verification and site-specific, complicated calculations that only a trained landscape professional could do...
WE 2.2 – Third Party Inspection
This credit gives just one extra point to have a third party inspect the irrigation system in operation. I'm am not sure if our Green Rater has done this or not, but it is easy enough to do, and just costs his time (for which the builder is paying). He needs to...
Bye Bye Native Grasses (and weeds)!
As part of our overall landscaping design, we wanted a significant portion of our property to be native grasses and wild flowers. Why? It's pretty. But it is also a very sustainable choice compared to lawns. It requires no fertilization (no chemicals), no...
WE 2.1 – High-Efficiency Irrigation System
Like the Water Reuse section, the idea is to reduce the demand for water -- but in this credit, through an irrigation system. My first question was: what if people do not have an irrigation system? Many people do not! No points, unless you account for a landscape...
WE 1.3 – Municipal Recycled Water System
This credit is an either/or with the first two in Water Efficiency (you cannot get points in the first two and claim the points here). It grants 3 points to homeowners who design the plumbing such that irrigation system water demand is supplied by municipal recycled...
WE 1.2 – Graywater Reuse System
Graywater? Sounds gross. Graywater is wash water--basically all the water that goes down the drain except for toilet water. The definition becomes more clear in the description of the requirement: Design and install a graywater reuse system for landscape irrigation...
WE 1.1 – Rainwater Harvesting System
We have now entered the fourth section out of eight -- definitely making progress: Water Efficiency (we need a minimum of three points total in this section). According to the LEED for Homes Reference Manual, approximately 340 billion gallons of fresh water is...
Our attempt at a Native Landscape
A significant part of our outdoor landscaping was designed to be a native grasses and wildflower area that would require very little irrigation, no mowing, and be beautiful. As this is our second summer in the house, the area is not yet well established. Our...
SS6 – Compact Development
This credit, at first glance, seemed to belong in Location & Linkages, since it is about the location we chose to build our house. But upon further reading, it is more about how we use our specific site. The USGBC encourages efficient land use -- basically,...
SS 5 – Nontoxic Pest Control
This is a good requirement, because it addresses something you can do upfront to prevent health hazards later. It should be titled "Pest Prevention," though -- "nontoxic pest control" is what we would want to use once we see that there are pests in the house. The...
Photo credit: Paul Crosby