Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

Amongst the various programs established to help home buyers design or purchase green homes, a certification program called LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) has emerged at the top in the last few years.

LEED for Homes is a national third-party certification system measuring the green performance of a home in 8 different categories including: innovation and design, location and linkages, sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental control, and education and awareness.

Home owners can build or purchase homes that meet 4 different standards with respective LEED point values: Certified (45-59 points), Silver (60-74 points), Gold (75-89 points), Platinum (90-136 points). The Certified standard is the easiest and the Platinum is the most difficult to obtain.

Kevin Simoes, RD.AIBC – Principal, is a LEED Accredited Professional and can help plan and register your “green” project.

Here are some details of the overall process:

There are 4 main parties involved in the LEED for Home process:

1. The Builder
2. The Provider (Streamline Design Ltd.)
3. The Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC) www.cagbc.org
4. The Green Rater (Streamline)

There are 4 documents required by the CaGBC to certify a project:

1. Registration form
2. Checklist (Streamline will provide, review, fill out and submit)
3. Durability Checklist (Streamline)
4. Accountability Form (multiple forms depending on project; provided by Streamline)

There are 2 mandatory site verifications to be done by the Green Rater (Streamline)

1. Thermal By-Pass / Pre-Drywall
2. Final Verification

There is also an option for Durability Checklist site verifications that if achieved will lead to more points
There are other verifications that will be required throughout the project based on the chosen credits

There are 4 fees to be paid:

1. Registration at beginning of project (CaGBC set price)
2. Provider (Streamline)
3. Green Rater/Provider (Streamline)
4. Certification at end of project (CaGBC set price)

The LEED for Homes program does require in-depth documentation. If the project claims a point in any category, it must have the paperwork to prove it.

Please call or email us for additional information.