In the world of Real Estate there are many options for building.  All around the world groups are making efforts on building homes that are more friendly to the environment, and promote healthy living for the people that live in them.  Many products can adversely affect not just the environment, but your health as well.  The awareness of these products are being taken to a whole new level and consumers seem to be begging for more in many areas.

A LEED Home is a product brought together by the USGBC.  LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.  Many consumers are aware of the Energy Star product, but please do not confuse these two. 

LEED Homes are very unique.  There is a wide array of products that can go into one, so many that I will not talk about all of them here.  But I will tell you what features make a home LEED.  There is a checklist for each one, so I will go down the list and talk about some of it in a little detail.  A LEED home is not required to have everything but must have a minimum. 

Location- The home must not be near Environmentally sensitive areas and have infrastructure leading to it.  Another point is water.  There must be existing water nearby.

Sustainable Site-  There are a few features here:

• Erosion Control: Not likely to erode from the foundation and landscaping
• Landscaping: Drought tolerant plans, non-invasive plants
• Shading:  Believe it or not, shade trees can significantly reduce your utility bills. If there are not shade trees it is recommended to plant some
• Surface Water Control:  Pools of water on the property can negatively affect many things
• Non-Toxic Pest Control:  Toxins in Pest Control can affect you as a person, ground, plants..basically anything it touches

Water Efficiency- Managing your water usage is important.  This could be based on many items. Here are a few:

• Rain Water Harvesting
• Irrigation System
• Indoor Water Use- faucets, toilets, etc.

Energy and Atmosphere- This section gets into Greenhouse gasses and Energy Efficiency which lowers your utility bills for the life of the home.

• Energy Star Home- Again, this is different than LEED.  A home has to be certified as Energy Star which varies by region that the home is built.  I will cover that in another post.
• Water Heating
• Refrigerant Management- Loss of Refrigerant in the Atmosphere is not a good thing.

Materials and Resources- Here is a section where many products can be used.  But here is a small overview of what they look for.

• Material Efficient Framing- Not a whole lot of wasted materials. 
• Environmentally Preferable Products
• Waste Management

Indoor Environmental Quality- This is where YOU come in.  Here are features that would help the air quality of your home.

• Energy Star with Indoor Air Package- Most would know this as a whole house HEPA Filter.  It reduces 99.9% of allergens in the home.
• Moisture Control- Reduces occurrences of mildew/mold
• Outdoor Air Ventilation- Proper ventilation between indoors and outdoors is a necessity for healthier living.
• Local Exhaust
• Supply Air Distribution
• Supply Air Filtering
• Contaminant Control-  Central Vacuum would fall under this category. The dust and allergens stay out of the air.
• Radon Protection
• Garage Pollutant Protection

Awareness and Education- This is the last one.  It is recommended that anyone living in a LEED be educated on the products used.  This includes tenants if it is a lease home.

LEED Homes are:

• Quieter due to better insulation
• Healthier due to products used
• Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Lower your utility bills
• Have less maintenance required  

I will be posting on different products that make up a LEED home.  It would take a Novel to put it all here.  But the main point to take away from this is that a LEED home is an investment.  It is an investment on the long term health of YOU and the Environment. 

For more information on LEED Homes please visit this website.