Journal

What is LEED Design?

June 22, 2018  |  green design, interior design, LEED Design
What is LEED Design?

About LEED - 

Everyone talks about going green, but many people are unaware of LEED and what LEED is doing for green design. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is the largest leader in green design in the world and currently resides in 165 countries and territories. LEED focuses on improving the world's green materials, water efficiency, smart grid, and performance-based products and buildings. With over six guides ranging from building and construction, to cities and communities, these guides will help find your every LEED need and for any building. LEED currently uses a point and level system when rating buildings. There are four levels that can be reached in LEED certification. The lowest level at 40-49 points earned is the Certified which is 0% to 30% of the building. After Certified comes Silver at 50-59 points which is 30% to 48%  of the building. Next is Gold at 60-79 points which is at 48% of the building. The last and highest level you can reach with a LEED certification is Platinum at 80+ points and is 50 to 60% of the building.

Why build with LEED in mind?

Building with LEED can be costly during project start-up, but over time a LEED building saves on energy and lowers the cost of the building, or at least balances the initial cost of the building. LEED buildings lower costs over the life time of the building because of the sustainable and efficient products used in the building. Buildings built with LEED in mind usually have a higher rate of being rented out repeatedly to buildings that are not built with LEED. LEED buildings have a 4% lower chance of being vacant even with high rent rates. The reason is LEED buildings use 25% less energy and they see a 19% reduction in operation costs compared to non-LEED certified buildings. Companies and home owners alike can receive economic cost benefits for building with LEED. They both can receive tax credits, fee reductions, grants, and low interest rate loans. A home owner can receive up to $2,000 in tax credits and a 5% reduction in insurance costs when building with LEED. The main reason for building with LEED is for sustainability and for a cleaner environment for the future. Building buildings that use a quarter of the power than they normally would save on water usage, and improve the air quality in and around them. These are just a few of the many reasons why LEED buildings are becoming one of the most popular building methods.

How to gain LEED credits!

Gaining LEED credits is easy. For home owners that are in new construction or just want to remodel their existing home, one of the easiest ways to gain LEED credit is by water reduction. Water reduction can range from toilets that use less water to flush, to sink faucets in the kitchen and bathroom, and even your shower head can reduce the water usage in your home. By reducing 30% of water usage in your home you can earn up to 5 credits. Other ways to gain LEED credits are lighting, thermal control, waste management, historic building reuse, storage, recyclables, materials, and many more.