What is LEED?
Homes are the most important buildings in our lives. We think that every building should be a green building – but especially homes. Why? LEED homes are built to be healthy, providing clean indoor air and incorporating safe building materials to ensure a comfortable home. Using less energy and water means lower utility bills each month. And in many markets, certiﬁed green homes are now selling quicker and for more money than comparable non-green homes. Some of the most important buildings in the world use LEED. Shouldn’t the most important building in everyone’s world use LEED, too?
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and is simply a certification process that was set up by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to certify green homes. LEED details the code that all parties who touch the home – from architects, to builders & developers, to the subcontractors will follow.
Buildings can qualify for four levels of certification:
- Certified: 40–49 points
- Silver: 50–59 points
- Gold: 60–79 points
- Platinum: 80 points and above
It should also be noted that a home can be considered a Green Home, but NOT LEED-certified. A completely custom green home can be built, using all of the same products and processes, and yet the homeowners may choose NOT to get the home LEED certified. Some homeowners feel it is enough to know that their home has been built according to green building standards, and is more efficient and well-built, but choose not to to through the process and expense of the LEED certification process.
Learn more about the certification process, and get started on your project today. Find additional resources, and purchase your copy of the LEED Reference Guide for Homes Design and Construction.
To learn more and LEED certification and the Cincinnati LEED tax abatement, please visit this page Cincinnati LEED Tax Abatement