USGBC countered [...]]]>

Last week a judge dismissed Henry Giffords law suit against USGBC. Gifford had pointed out that energy audits of LEED buildings showed no greater energy savings than normal buildings of the same class, and in fact LEED buildings showed WORSE energy savings in many cases. Green Source Magazine speaks about it here.

USGBC countered his claims by publishing study of their own that showed superior energy savings of LEED buildings, but this study was later proved to be false.

The Hearst Building is a LEED project criticized by Gifford. It claims to have motion sensor lights that turn off when rooms are empty but as you can see the building is lit up late at night when people are not in the offices.

The judge dismissed the suit against USGBC not based on Giffords claims about energy efficiency, however. The judge simply said that the energy efficiency claims don’t do enough harm.

Bottom line, LEED is better than nothing but that isn’t saying much. I would do LEED if there was money in the advertising budget because a LEED certified building can fetch higher rents and sale prices.

But if you are a genuine NY green contractor you are going to build to much higher standards than LEED anyway, so why take money away from the construction budget to get it LEED certified? For a plaque? Better to use that money on more solar panels or something.

Now I’m [...]]]>

Everyone and their mother is getting LEED certified. Remember the story about Rockefeller overhearing his shoe shine boy talking about stocks? This prompted Rockefeller to conclude that the market had reached a bubble and was about to collapse. He took all his money out of the market just before it crashed.

Now I’m seeing the same thing about LEED certification. People who will probably never use the knowledge are getting certified. To be LEED certified is cooler than wearing designer clothes.

USGBC has managed to create an aura of moral integrity rarely seen in the building industry.

Whenever an entity has the moral high ground there is usually only one direction for them to go.

LEED has some serious flaws:
- the tremendous green washing that companies do around the LEED points. For example “Soy Based” spray foam, which in reality has minute percentages of soy. But you get points for using it.
- the fact that a building can be LEED certified and be LESS energy efficient than an AVERAGE normal building.
- the fact that people lie and cheat to get the points. For example I know a trash removal company who will give me a form saying they recycled my garbage if I want.

BUT and this is important, having said that I think LEED is a great step in the right direction. It has some flaws but they can be adjusted. If all houses were LEED certified I do think the building industry would be greener.

Here are some resources so your mother can pass the LEED exam:

South Face
I’ve not used them but I’m told you can register to take the course and then you can start downloading the power point presentations.

U of F
Not used it but it is a website from the University of Florida that provides excellent sample quizzes and study guides (i.e. flash cards; summary tables; and acronym information). Best of all it’s free!

LEED Education
Again not used but this website provides some free content and some that requires purchase. I have only briefly reviewed their website but it seems like a good source.

Additionally, I have heard could things about the following information that is available for purchase:

Green Exam Prep
I like these guys best over all others. This one 7 hour online course and the 8 practice test is basically all you need to pass the test IMO.

USGBC Colorado
Study Guide prepared by the Colorado Chapter of the USGBC. You can purchase it for $50 from their website. I got it. They are great. No green washing here. Very solid materials and integrity.

Cascadia
Not used them. But they look minorly interesting. They offer study-materials – this website is from the Cascadia Region Chapter of the USGBC. They have created flashcards that are available for purchase from their website for $35 for non members.

There are other sources for study out there but I don’t recommend them. They range from useless to absolute crap.

Presented by O’Brien & Company.

How does the “no additional lumber” address cases of historic/cultural design, in particular on an infill project in a historic neighborhood or a gut rehab of a historic building.? This credit has been revised to a 10% [...]]]>

Here is a useful Q & A on LEED for homes.

Presented by O’Brien & Company.

How does the “no additional lumber” address cases of historic/cultural design, in
particular on an infill project in a historic neighborhood or a gut rehab of a historic
building.?
This credit has been revised to a 10% cap on the waste factor in the lumber order, so the
“additional lumber” language is no longer moot.
How does LEED for Homes apply to historic homes?
The LEED for Homes rating system can be used for gut rehabs of homes, including
historic homes. LEED for Homes is evaluating innovation applications for deconstruction
of existing (e.g., historical) homes on a case-by-case basis and may consider
establishing some performance threshold for deconstruction in a future version of LEED
for Homes. In addition, wood salvaged from historic homes may be reused in new
construction.
How is material salvaged from deconstruction treated (is it salvaged? Resource
reuse?)
Salvaged or reused material is eligible for recognition under MR5, Environmentally
Preferable Products; in cases where it is not listed as an alternative for a given building
component, the builder should submit a credit interpretation request for consideration by
the MR-TASC. If the quantity of materials being reused in substantial enough (i.e.,
comparable in magnitude to the other measures in MR 5), the request for an ID credit will
be granted.
Is a list of builders participating in the pilots available? If not now, when?
USGBC has asked the pilot builders if they are open to having their contact information
made public; a response is expected in coming weeks. USGBC plans to post this
information on the LEED for Homes website at www.usgbc.org/leed/homes.
What are the registration fees?
There is a $150 fee for project registration, with $50 per unit for certification.
Those are fees due to USGBC from builder. Other applicable fees (e.g., for certification
services) are at the discretion of the Provider. Fees for the third-party certification will
vary with the level of experience of the green home builder, the home size, the desired
certification level (i.e., Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum), and the distance that the third
party has to travel to conduct site visits at the LEED Home. Earth Advantage (EA),
Portland is the Provider in the Northwest. O’Brien & Company has been contracted by EA
to represent perform ratings on its behalf in Washington.
Can verification be done by the same person doing technical
assistance/consulting? (Who’s doing quality control of verifiers?)
The official certifier of LEED Homes is an authorized LEED for Homes Provider. All
LEED raters or verifiers must be contracted to a LEED for Homes Provider. It is up to the
discretion of the Provider to determine who is qualified to deliver on-site verification
services. Providers are responsible for recruiting, training, and supervising qualified
LEED raters in their local markets. LEED Home raters must meet qualifying criteria. In
particular, since LEED for Homes requires ENERGY STAR for Homes qualification, the
rater must be qualified by ENERGY STAR NW through its performance testing and
verification training.
Also, all individuals offering verification services related to LEED for Homes are required
to submit a declaration stating possible conflicts of interest. This declaration needs to be
provided to the builder and any other parties who might be affected by potential conflicts
of interest.
As pilot raters in Washington, O’Brien & Company is providing some guidance to design
teams to help them leverage integration opportunities and optimize their design. O’Brien
and Company works under the supervision of the LEED for Home Provider Earth
Advantage.
Why won’t LEED Home Builders be able to hang their hats on a LEED AP? We
should be able to use that Brand.
The current LEED AP designation does not indicate any familiarity with LEED for Homes;
rather, it represents knowledge of other LEED rating systems, which relate to commercial
buildings. USGBC is considering whether to develop a comparable exam and
credential for professionals who are conversant with LEED for Homes. Currently,
qualified LEED for Homes support is available to builders via their local Providers. LEED
APs that are qualified in green home building are encouraged to develop business
relationships with the LEED for Homes Provider in the markets that they serve.
Will there be a LEED for remodels?
The challenge with a LEED program for remodeling is that remodeling by its nature is a
“one-off” business, with few economies of scale and in most cases, no buyer (in most
cases, the client already owns the home). Thus, the remodeling market poses challenges
with respect to the creation of a viable (i.e., sustainable) business model for USGBC.
Further, the LEED Rating Systems are generally used to assess the whole of a building.
In remodeling, only parts of the home are affected. Thus, it is difficult to asses the greenness
of a building when only part of it has been upgraded. For the time being, we
suggest that remodelers use LEED for Homes to provide guidance with respect to the
goals and principles — and in some cases, e.g., plumbing fixtures, performance
specifications — that can be referred to in the remodeling process. USGBC may tackle
the remodeling market sometime in the future. Note that LEED for Homes can be used
for gut rehabs.
Will there be a LEED for existing homes (recertification process) given frequent
turnover?
This represents a challenge similar to remodeling; and besides the fact that there are no
economies of scale, it remains to be seen whether there is any significant demand
potential. Since the seller is the homeowner and not a builder, s/he stands to gain no
professional reputation benefit by offering the LEED brand. In the future LEED may
achieve sufficient consumer brand recognition that prospective buyers will look for a
LEED label on a used home as well as a new one — and be willing to pay for it — but it’s
likely to be quite a few years before that happens.