How To Certify Your Building As A LEED Green Building

The construction industry has developed guidelines for certification for the green building friendly, offered through the U.S. Green Building Council. (USGBC) has a unique scoring system and method to score a building as Green qualified called "leadership in Energy and Environment Design. (LEED) has been considered the industry standard in defining the guidelines for developing high-performance, sustainable green buildings, these are currently voluntary.

LEED is still in the developmental stages so there are revisions and refinements on going, builders have to use their own knowledge of green building practices and then apply for certification through voluntary consensus by others who are in the process of setting the standards.

The LEED point system of categorizing the points which are taken in 6 areas.

1. Water conservation
2. Sustainable site
3. Energy and atmosphere
4. Indoor environmental quality
5. Energy and atmosphere
6. Green design innovations

The number of points earned by the builders guidelines above determine the certification levels of Silver, Gold and Platinum.

Apply for LEED status find an accredited professional at the USGBC website where you can find the forms to apply expect to pay anywhere from a few thousand dollars to as much as $10,000 for certification.

LEED is a good tool if you just want to know how to make your home more green even if you don't get the certification.

Here is what the USGBC offers for the following versions of LEED certification:

1. LEED-ND: Neighborhood development
2. LEED-NC: New commercial construction and major renovation projects
3. LEED-CI: Commercial interiors projects
4. LEED-CS: Core and shell projects
5. LEED-EB: Existing buildings
6. LEED-H: Homes

Side benefits from getting a LEED certified home;

1. LEED certification attracts potential buyers.
2. LEED certification increases the value of the home.
3. LEED certification may qualify you for tax breaks, speeds up your permit process, and offer other benefits.

Learn the methods of green building's a reap the rewards of efficiency and saving's.

Marquis Van De Mark is a financial adviser that writes on topics of interest.

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