Blog
Helping Save the Planet: an easy thing I did today
As I am scrounging around for another few points to hit the Gold level threshold for our soon-t0-be LEED Certified home, I am advised to do an easy thing, that is worth two points: install aerators in all of our sink faucets (except the kitchen sink). Aerators lower...
I passed the LEED AP exam!
One week ago today, I took the LEED for Green Associates and LEED AP Homes exam. About 15 seconds after I ended the exam, the computer screen changed and gave me my results. As the title of this post suggests, I passed! I have not been able to write about it yet...
Studying for LEED for Homes Exam
Tomorrow, December 7, 2010, I am scheduled to take the LEED for Homes exam. Right now I am taking a break from studying by writing about studying. (It actually is a break!) The exam will be two parts: each two hours and each 100 multiple choice questions, given at ...
Final LEED for Homes Meeting!
Last week, I met with our LEED for Homes Provider--Pat O'Malley of Building Knowledge, Inc.--and our Green Rater (Jimmie Sparks from the Neighborhood Energy Connection) to have a FINAL LEED MEETING. Pat asked me my goal: to give everything to him so that we can get...
Credit Interpretation Request
We are going for one additional point through the Credit Interpretation Request process. This Credit Interpretation Request follows the format required for LEED for Homes: Credit Interpretation Request Relevant credit: AE 1.3 Public Awareness LEED-H Version #: pilot...
Innovative Design Request
This is my official "Innovative Design Request" for an additional point for our irrigation well. It follows the required structure of all LEED for Homes credits: Innovation and Design Credit Request Relevant category: Water Efficiency LEED-H Version #: pilot vI.II...
ID 3 – Innovative or Regional Design
For "Innovative Design," I had a long list of possibilities of what we thought might be worthy of extra consideration. Let's revisit my original list with the filter or knowing what has/not been rewarded already in the LEED credit system: Ground-source heat...
ID 3 – Exemplary Performance
As I have finished tallying up the points of all of the sub-sections in LEED for Homes, we can now go back to Innovation & Design Process to see if we can earn any more points. I had written about this possibility in an earlier post as a place to come back to in...
AE 1.3 – Public Awareness
Hooray! This is the LAST credit in the LAST section of the entire LEED for Homes Reference Manual. (I should qualify this: there is one more section - AE 2: Education of Building Manager. But it only applies to multifamily buildings with more than five units, and...
AE 1.2 – Enhanced Training
In addition to the training provided in the prerequisite (see previous post), we can get one point if we are provided with two hours of training. Examples include an additional walk-through, training held in another home that has s imilar green measures and...
Awareness & Education
I am now beginning the eighth and final section of the LEED for Homes Reference Manual. Whew - this has been a long process! Here, the USGBC addresses an ongoing theme of my commentary: that while LEED focuses on the design and construction of new homes, "the...
EQ 10 – Garage Pollutant Protection
The intent of this credit is to reduce exposure to indoor pollutants originating from an adjacent garage. Our architect initially drew our garage as detached -- he likes the scale and proportion of a house better without a garage. Having a detached garage, or no...
Photo credit: Paul Crosby