Guest editorial by Jonathan Kraatz, Executive Director USGBC/Texas and Robert Pegues, Quality Assurance Manager, Single Family Division, TexEnergy | Us-EcoLogic
LEED, Leadership for Energy Efficiency and Design, is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. Available for virtually all building types, LEED provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings.
There are several LEED certification levels ranging from the most basic LEED-certified (40 points) to LEED Platinum (80 points), the highest LEED green building certification. LEED scores are based on six primary categories ranging from seven to 38 points each with an additional 10 points for regional priority and design innovation.
Using LEED can seem daunting to the uninitiated. Each pathway to certification is unique and nuanced for each project, but there are some general rules and guidelines that can help anyone interested going down the path to sustainability in the built environment. Here’s a brief description of the nine categories:
LOCATION AND TRANSPORTATION (LT) – Location, location, location! Site selection is a critical component in any LEED project. Avoid flood plains and choose locations or communities close to local transportation and parks if possible.
SUSTAINABLE SITES (SS) – make sure the construction site is protected. Erosion control is key! Protect your construction site with erosion blankets and silt fencing. Planting trees not only beautifies your project, it also helps with permeability, reduced heat island effect and reduced heating loads by shading. Choose landscaping that is non-invasive and drought tolerant and consider reducing turf where possible. Borate is a great non-toxic pest control that can help your project keep the bugs away (and also counts toward some LEED credit).
ENERGY AND ATMOSPHERE (EA) – Energy Efficiency and design. The foundation of LEED is energy efficiency, which is expressed in a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) rating. The building thermal envelope and mechanical systems are two sides of the same coin, but each needs to be addressed separately.
- For efficient thermal envelopes, design starts with advanced framing, exterior insulated sheathing, high performing windows and doors, and grade 1 insulation installation. ENERGY STAR’s thermal bypass checklist is your friend here.
- For the mechanicals, consider tankless water heaters, 90 AFUE furnace, 16 SEER for cooling, inline mechanical ventilation fan and LED lighting. All of these components thrown into modeling software, shaken then stirred, will help your project meet ENERGY STAR requirements and a lower HERS index. Make sure an HVAC designer is on board to provide whole home load, system selection and distribution layout and flows.
WATER EFFICIENCY (WE) – Water Efficiency and design. Closely following Energy Efficiency, this category looks at the ongoing use of resources and focuses on water saving design feature both inside and outside of the home.
For efficient water use, focus on water efficient appliances, fixtures and fittings like low-flow faucets and fixtures and tankless/on-demand water heaters that can save water that would be wasted waiting for the desired water temperature.
- Outside of the home, look for ways to reduce water needed for irrigation. This does interact with choices made in the Sustainable Sites section with regard to landscape selection and plantings and can also be achieved through rainwater capture and water recycling from domestic sources.
MATERIALS AND RESOURCES (MR) – Recycle, Reduce, Reuse… and durability
- Order local products and construction materials where possible. Avoid tropical woods! Use the ENERGY STAR water management checklist and choose environmentally preferred products. Use advanced framing like California corners, ladder blocking, space roof rafters and floor joists 24 inches on center. Grab those detailed framing drawings and order just the right amount of lumber to reduce waste, which translates to lower waste hauling. Fly ash in concrete yields a greener, more durable finished product. Finally, consider using recycled carpet and pads or 100% hard flooring.
INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (EQ) – a cleaner indoor environment is a healthier indoor environment.
There are three steps to achieving healthy indoor living spaces:
- Seal off and separate any possible contaminated sources. Typically, the main culprit here is a garage, combustion appliance zones and tracking in dirt. Seal off and separate the garage and install carbon monoxide (CO) monitors adjacent to the door. Create a space for easy shoe removal at the front or back entry. Determine the radon zone and install radon mitigation measures in high risk zones.
- Install kitchen and laundry room exhausts and ENERGY STAR bathroom exhaust fans according to ENERGY STAR’s performance guidelines. Choose an inline mechanical ventilation fan to supply outdoor air and lower energy use to ENERGY STAR compliance.
- Choose HVAC filters with a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating of 10 or more. The higher the MERV rating, the better the filter is at trapping specific types of particles. For extra credit, consider two-stage or multi-stage HVAC equipment with dehumidification capabilities.
INNOVATION (IN) – new and improved! Get credit for using cutting edge practices. All projects must receive a preliminary rating. A verification team will review the project plans, design and identify specific scopes of work for each key member of the team. There is also room for additional credits for measures not covered within the current rating system.
REGIONAL PRIORITY (RP) – special credits for your neck of the woods. Choose from U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) list of additional regionally specific credits to help your project earn up to four credit points.
ON-SITE RENEWABLE ENERGY Solar’s benefits are closely aligned with the underlying goals of LEED: encouraging decreased carbon emissions, reduced reliance on traditional energy sources, improved air quality, better building decisions and ultimately a more environmentally responsible future for us all. The number of LEED points awarded in the Energy and Atmosphere category for solar is determined by the percentage of the project’s energy costs that are offset by on-site renewable energy.
Whether you’re a seasoned sustainability practitioner or just starting to dip your toes into the LEED pool, following these guidelines can help you navigate the complex world of green building and ensure your project attains LEED certification.
Jonathan Kraatz is the first Executive Director of the U.S. Green Building Council/Texas Chapter. In 2016, he facilitated the merger of four USGBC Texas chapters. Previously, Jonathan served as the Executive Director for the USGBC North Texas Chapter.
Robert Pegues joined the TexEnergy | Us-EcoLogic team in 2015 and holds the position of Quality Assurance Manager in the Single Family Division. Through his time with the company, he has become credentialed as a LEED for Homes Quality Assurance Designee, LEED Green Rater, National Green Building Standards (NGBS) Green Verifier, HERS Quality Assurance Designee, RESNET Rater Trainer, HERS Rater, and IECC Residential Inspector and plans examiner. Robert has also had an active role in development and advisement of the LEED for Homes version 4.1 protocol, LEED for Homes Production Builder certification review process, Energy Star 3.1 protocol, and 2018 IECC through North Texas Council of Governments Energy and Green Advisory Board.