Sep 7, 2010 | Energy, Green Home Building/Remodeling
So, now I am going to count up our points under the Energy & Atmosphere prescriptive path, and see if we get more points this way than going down the performance path with the HERS rating. I am also going to learn more about the components of an energy efficient...
Sep 6, 2010 | Energy, Green Home Building/Remodeling
This credit is the first and major one for the performance pathway, which requires a HERS rating from our green building rater. There is one prerequisite: EA 1.1 : Energy Star for Homes. I am not sure if we have an Energy Star House, but a home that earns points...
Sep 2, 2010 | Energy, Green Home Building/Remodeling
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....
Sep 1, 2010 | Green Home Building/Remodeling, Water
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....
Aug 31, 2010 | Green Home Building/Remodeling, Water
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...
Aug 30, 2010 | Green Home Building/Remodeling, Water
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...
Aug 26, 2010 | Green Home Building/Remodeling, Water
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...
Aug 25, 2010 | Green Home Building/Remodeling, Water
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...
Aug 24, 2010 | Green Home Building/Remodeling, Water
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...
Aug 22, 2010 | Green Home Building/Remodeling, Water
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...
Aug 19, 2010 | Green Home Building/Remodeling, Landscaping
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,...
Aug 18, 2010 | Green Home Building/Remodeling, Landscaping
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...
