Building a LEED Project Team–LEED AP for Homes

Posted on March 18, 2012 by ellen

Everbuild PRO Statistics

Each LEED for Homes project uses the integrated design process to distribute responsibility for meeting LEED criteria and acquiring LEED points. The project team typically includes experts on green building and sustainability and to gain the point for a full LEED project team roster the members must bring to the table expertise in three general areas and must meet monthly to participate in the project. The expertise areas are:

architecture or building design
mechanical or energy engineering
building science or performance testing
green building or sustainable design and
civil engineering, landscape architecture, habitat restoration or land-use planning

Another point is gained if at least one of the members holds the LEED for Homes AP credential and is on the team by the preliminary rating.

I started building this team by engaging a LEED AP architect who has been working in sustainable design for many years. See HumaNature Post

Next I was able to find a Provider in Colorado who can also provide an Energy Rater as well as a LEED for Homes Green Rater at EnergyLogic.

Now I needed a LEED for Homes AP for the team, preferably someone with building science and energy performance background. I was able to turn to the list of USGBC Professionals in the area to choose a LEED AP for homes to contact and ask for help with this project.

Each time I find a professional there is something about their website that draws me in. In the case of Shane Gring’s company, BOULD (Everbuild Pro), they provide LEED training for Habitat for Humanity affordable homes through tuition to the program, you can get the necessary LEED experience and provide support for green building expenses for an affordable Habitat home. Such a GREAT idea! I’m going to sign up myself to help complete my Green Rater credentialing program. BUT Shane also provides LEED AP expertise for independent projects and has a wealth of gut remodel and energy modeling experience.

LEED AP Homes

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Where to start? Energy Audit!

Posted on March 18, 2012 by ellen

Deeper Green Energy Consultant

One of the most exciting parts of becoming a LEED project is meeting so many people who are working on sustainable construction and design services. Many are young and just starting their own businesses and they are hard working, dependable, and a pleasure to work with.

At the Green Rater course I met Matt who works up in the mountains for a recycling company that has been around for years. They have been doing energy audits to qualify homeowners for Xcel Energy Rebates but he thought Arvada was too far away for his company to service. So he recommended Melissa from Deeper Green Consulting in Denver. She does consulting in the metro Denver area. You can find Melissa on the approved energy services providers located on the Xcel Energy site.

deeper green consulting, llc

179 s. vrain st.
denver, CO 80219

303-550-7380

The Infrared photo in the header was taken by Melissa for our initial energy audit. Her report entitles us to further Xcel rebates for improving our insulation and other energy efficient upgrades.

Energy Efficiency Rebates from Xcel Energy

Update: Initial blower door test results were 3250 cfm and a NACH score of .43
a. CFM50=3250
b. Volume=24420
c. N-factor=18.5 (One story/normal)
d. NACH= 0.43

Most of the leakage was around the windows and doors so new installations were recommended. We will see about renewing the wood windows first though and resealing their perimeters.Here are the top three recommended improvements; new windows, conditioning the crawlspace, and replacing the old boiler although increasing the attic insulation was also high on the list.

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HumaNature Architecture

Posted on March 17, 2012 by ellen

HumaNature Architecture

A LEED project must follow certain guidelines. Some are prerequisites and some gain points towards the level of certification that the owner is seeking. The higher the number of points, the more valuable metal the LEED certification will represent with the most points representing Platinum. Of course there are Gold and Silver, Bronze and Plain certification levels too. Until LEED makes some major changes this year, there are more points available in LEED for Homes than other LEED systems (like commercial buildings which is where they started.)

Of course we aim for Platinum with the goal of having the most energy efficient home, or as close to net zero energy use as possible, but there are several prerequisites just to qualify for a LEED for Homes Gut Remodel that might do us in. One prerequisite is to put together an integrated design team to work together to create a LEED certified house. Finding a team to lend expertise to meet the challenges of LEED has been really interesting.

My first contact was the architect. I just used the Internet to find a sustainable green building architect in the Arvada area who had experience with LEED. Turned out only one really showed up as having these qualities, and I found out he had just moved back to Boulder! But he is willing to travel to work on this project and seems like just the man to have first on the team.

Let me introduce you to James Plagmann, whose award winning designs are cooked up in his company, HumaNature Architecture.

James Plagmann-Architect

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Why LEED?

Posted on March 16, 2012 by ellen

Good question. We bought this house in Arvada, Colorado on New Years Eve 2011. It is earth sheltered on the north and has passive solar windows and a trombe wall to the south. The garage protects the house on the western windward side which is also the hottest.

There are three bedrooms, a family room, utility room, kitchen and living room with two full and one three quarter bath in the master bedroom. Two bedrooms and a bath have a crawlspace under them and are about 3 feet higher than the rest of the house which is slab on grade. It is our retirement project and another step on our journey towards living our homesteading lifestyle.

Satellite View

Passive solar windows at work.

Sun streaming into living room

Since we are working towards sharing our research with the world (Hello world!), partnering with the premier rating agency for Green Building seemed like a perfect fit for this earth bermed, passive solar 80’s home. The original owners were most likely owner builders like we are and we were instantly drawn to the home and its construction.

After quite a bit of Internet reading about LEED, I signed up for a LEED Green Rater course with Energy Logic, which is in Berthoud, Co, about 2 hours from Arvada.

Energy Logic Logo

Energy Logic is a Colorado LEED provider and we have contracted with them to rate our project. That was the first step towards achieving a certified LEED for Homes gut remodel!

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