October/November 2008
LEED for Homes
C O N T E N T S
Chapter News: USGBC Colorado Chapter Celebrates Five Years
ED Corner: Green Building And The Global Economic Crisis
The Business of Green King Soopers and Xcel Energy Collaborate for Savings
Residential Green: Role for LEED AP's in the LEED for Homes System?
LEED EBOM: Colorado State Capitol First in Nation Certifiied Under LEED EBOM
VISION
Promote responsibility for Colorado's environmental legacy.
MISSION
Advance and promote sustainable planning, design, construction and operation of the built environment through education, improving industry guidelines, policy advocacy, and information and resource sharing.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Tom Hootman, President
RNL Design
Dana Kose, Vice Chair
M.A. Mortenson
Megan Christensen, Secretary
Bovis Lend Lease
Jim Bradburn, Treasurer
RMH Group
Mike Lowell, Advocacy Chair
US GSA
Bobby Molinari, Membership Chair Hyatt Select
Josh Radoff, Director At Large
YRG Consultants
Sue McFaddin, Director At Large Seven Generations
Ted Caulkins , Education Chair
Silvertip Integrated Engineering
Daniele Loffreda, Communications Chair
Plateau Enviro Associates
Conor Merrigan, EGB Chair
C2 Sustainable Development Consultants
Deb Kleinman
Executive Director
Colorado Building Green is the official newsletter of the U.S. Green Building Council – Colorado Chapter, and is published bi-monthly. If you are interested in submiting a story, ideas or other information for publication, please contact the editor at dgloffreda@msn.com
Role For LEED AP's in LEED for Homes System?
Is Residential Green So Different?
By Daniele Loffreda, LEED AP. Plateau Enviro Associates
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As the USGBC's volunteer Residential Green Building Advocate for Colorado, I field many questions about the LEED for Homes program.
One question that frequently pops up deals with what role the 'traditional' LEED Accredited Professional can play within the LEED for Homes certification process. Of particular concern to some is the lack of a credit point for having a LEED AP on the project team.
I've conveyed these concerns to the LEED for Homes staff within USGBC National. In this article I paraphrase their responses, and add some points of my own.
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LEED for Homes Providers
One area of confusion for the LEED AP is the the leadership role of the LEED for Homes Provider.
Providers are local and regional organizations with demonstrated experience, expertise in their market, and a proven record of supporting builders in the construction of high-performance, sustainable homes. Providers are selected by USGBC through a competitive bid process. In Colorado, the current LEED for Homes Providers are Architectural Energy Corporation and Built Green Colorado.
The Providers guide project teams through the LEED for Homes process. Their major task is to train and deploy a team of Green Raters. who conduct on-site inspections (once at rough framing and once upon completion) and performance testing. The Providers are not involved in project consulting to the degree that LEED AP's are in commercial projects.
The builder puts together the project team that will plan, design and build the home. In the design support stage, there is a definite need for designers and consultants who possess the requisite knowledge and experience in high performance sustainable homes strategies.
Throughout the past three years of my own involvement with residential green building programs, I've lost count of the times I've heard the comment " green residential construction is a totally different animal from commercial construction". LEED for Homes staff have heard from existing APs who see residential construction as “simple” or “easier” than commercial. On the other hand, they have heard more than a few examples of project teams that have been lead astray and charged astronomical consulting fees to work with an AP who wasn’t familiar at all with the Homes rating system.
LEED for Homes Accredited Professional?
The USGBC's Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI)is currently working on a professional accreditation to address the green residential marketplace. This is in keeping with the prevailaing opinion that the skill sets and experience required for residential projects are substantially different from those required in commercial projects. The residential AP designation will be targeted towards designers and architects who are actively involved in the residential projects.
I participated on a number of GBCI-led calls over the summer that was matching skill sets and experience levels to each activity within the LEED for Homes process. I can attest that GBCI is being very thorough in developing the track. The last I heard, the GBCI planned to launch the residential AP track by the end of 2008. They may make an announcement during next month's Greenbuild conference.
Point for Including a LEED AP?
Originally a point was included in the Innovation & Design1.2 Integrated Project Team category. However, according to the LEED for Homes staff, that credit is effectively turned off. Feedback from a number of LEED for Homes projects indicated that commercial AP's, while quite capable in commerial projects, have not been able to provide the same level of design and consulting services, and documentation support for the residential market.
However, the staff assured me that once the residential specific AP track is released, those who are acquire LEED for Homes AP accreditation will be able to earn the bonus point.
Expanding the Number of Providers
The LEED for Homes program is looking to expand the Provider network, to fill coverage gaps throughout the county. An RFQ is currently in place for any interested parties. The objective is to have additional LEED for Homes Providers ready to hit the market in early 2009. The RFQ is available for download on the LEED for Homes section of the www.usgbc.org website