The Neyer LEED Home

Our President and CEO, Dan Neyer recently completed our first LEED Certified residential project when he built his new home in Newport, KY and certified it Silver under the LEED for Homes certification program.  We put this page together to help raise public awareness of the LEED for Homes programs and to help educate our clients, customers, partners, and the public about the benefits of LEED for Homes.

What is LEED for Homes?

LEED for Homes is a green home certification system for assuring homes are designed and built to be energy- and resource-efficient and healthy for occupants. LEED for Homes officially launched in February 2008. As of June 2011, 5,402 projects have received LEED for Homes certification, totaling 11,803 units.

What is a green home?

Compared to a conventional home, a green home uses less energy, water and natural resources; creates less waste; is smartly located and built with as little impact on the land it sits on as possible; and is healthier for the people living inside.

What are the benefits?

LEED-certified homes are built with efficiency and health in mind, so they have the potential to save residents money on energy and water bills, reduce their carbon footprints and environmental impact, and protect their health. Based on tests performed on homes, the average home certified at the LEED-Certified level is predicted to have potential energy savings of up to 30% over homes built to International Energy Conservation Code. The average LEED-Platinum home could use as much as 60% less energy than an IECC-built home. LEED homes typically have better ventilation, use paints and products that emit little or no dangerous volatile organic compounds, and implement advanced moisture-control strategies, among other health considerations.

Why should I build a LEED home?

LEED has become recognized in the commercial building sector as the national benchmark of performance for green buildings and has rapidly gained recognition among the public at large. LEED for Homes is designed to serve the residential construction industry. Homebuilders using LEED will be able to differentiate their homes as representing the highest quality of green homes on the market. Furthermore, LEED certification will make it easy for homebuyers to readily identify high-quality green homes.

Further Reading and Resources:

• Find green home expertise, ideas and connections - www.thegreenhomeguide.org
• Builders and other professionals can find resources here - www.usgbc.org/buildleedhomes
• The LEED for Homes Reference Guide, available for purchase here - www.usgbc.org/store

On the next page, take a look at some of the special features of the Neyer LEED Home…