How green is my home? LEED, NAHB, Energy Star to decide

In the sweepstakes of green building, dozens of programs now vie to rate homes for water and energy efficiency. My green home project seeks top scores from several.

This year, I'll apply for certification from the government'sEnergy Star program, the National Association of Home Builders, Atlanta-based Earthcraft and Falls Church, Va., the self-dubbed "little city" where we're building. The city has its own rating system.

CAPTION

By Everyday Green

I'll also seek approval from the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Homes program, offered by the private Washington-based U.S. Green Building Council.

This is no minor feat. Arguably the nation's most strenuous green-rating program, LEED involves mounds of paperwork and thousands of dollars in registration, inspection and preparation fees. 

My family will probably spend about $10,000, and dozens of hours, on LEED. The cost explains why only a tiny share of LEED-rated homes are built by individuals, not developers.

Is it worth it?

Many developers seek LEED approval to help sell homes. After all, anyone can say a home is "green," but third-party verification offers evidence. It also specifies just how efficient a home is, based on inspections by energy auditors.

In my case, we have no plans to sell, but since I'm writing about green building, I want to learn  as much as possible. The LEED process, however cumbersome, is invaluable in that regard.

Part of its cost involves hiring an expert to guide you. Our LEED provider is Andrea Foss of Washington-based Everyday Green, who's been  advising me for the last year. She used to work at the U.S. Green Building Council, and her husband, Asa, with whom she started her firm, works there now.

We've met numerous times, often with the architects and builder, to review the project. We've had lengthy discussions about stormwater management, insulation, lighting and geothermal heat pumps. She's done energy modeling, so we can see how our decisions -- on HVAC, windows, wall thickness -- affect the home's energy use.

Andrea has worked on quite a few projects in the  Washington area and has recently bought her own city rowhouse, which she plans to renovate -- green, of course. She'll be bloggingabout her own experience.

At this point, our preliminary LEED scorecard is promising. If we stay on course, we're likely to get the top or platinum rating. Of course, before that happens, we still need to build the house -- we hope to break ground next month -- and fill out lots of paperwork.

Readers: Do you think green-rating programs are worth the cost/time? Do you have any experience with them?

Source: usatoday.com