Sustainable living has become an increasingly important focus in today’s world, with individuals and communities alike looking for ways reducing their carbon footprints, When it comes to building or renovating homes, sustainable practices and energy-efficient design have taken center stage. In response to this growth, many organizations introduce certification programs to measure sustainability and inspire people to achieve more. But with so many certifications and standards available, navigating the realm of sustainable building can be overwhelming.
Luckily, this article from Redfin has everything you need to know. Learn what these programs are about and which one is right for your home. whether you live in a home in Wilmington, NCor making New home in Tampa, FLRead on to learn about the different certifications and requirements so that you can make an informed decision and choose the right path towards a green home.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
- focus areasOverall building efficiency including water, energy, materials and air quality.
- Property Type: commercial, residential and public properties, and communities and cities.
- homeowner benefits: Integrates well with other certification programs and has a wide range of certification levels.
- Downsides: Might not go far enough to reduce your carbon footprint.
- Cost: $225 + additional fees. The price is reduced for members.
Established by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1993, lead is arguably the most widely recognized green building certification system. LEED provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings. It offers certification across a spectrum of building types and focuses on several key areas: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and environment, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation and regional prioritisation.
The four LEED certification levels include Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum, which correspond to the number of points a project earns in these categories. The buildings receive annual audits to ensure that they continue to meet the required standards.
For more, read our definitive guide: What is LEED Certification? Tips for Landlords
energy star
- focus areas: energy efficiency.
- Property Type: product; Commercial, residential and public properties.
- homeowner benefits: Energy Star buildings require up to 15% less energy than standard buildings, meaning you’ll save money in the long run.
- Downsides: Energy Star is a fairly basic certification that only applies to energy use. It is best combined with other certifications.
- Cost: $0-$1,500
energy star certification It is a joint program of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Energy. It aims to help businesses and individuals save money and protect the environment through improved energy efficiency. Most people associate ENERGY STAR with efficient appliances, but it also applies to buildings and homes.
Buildings that earn the Energy Star label have to meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency, typically making them at least 15% more energy-efficient than standard buildings. In addition to energy efficiency, ENERGY STAR also provides tools and resources for improving water efficiency.
For more, read our definitive guide: Energy Star Certification: What Homeowners Need to Know
Living Building Challenge
- focus areas: Sustainability and regeneration of completed buildings and assets.
- Property Type: Commercial, residential, and public buildings and properties, and neighborhoods and cities.
- homeowner benefits:LBC offers the most comprehensive certification, so you can be confident that your home is actively restoring the environment. The Living Building certification also applies to the entire property, whereas most others only apply to the building itself.
- Downsides: Meeting every requirement is extremely difficult and time consuming, and can be costly.
- Cost: $50-$250
Living Building Challenge (LBC), administered by the International Living Future Institute, is possibly the most rigorous and comprehensive green building certification in the world. It uses a regenerative design framework that requires projects to operate positively rather than simply operate passively.
The LBC consists of seven performance categories, or “petals”: Place, Water, Energy, Health and Happiness, Materials, Equity and Beauty. To be certified, a project must meet a series of ambitious performance requirements over a minimum of twelve months of continuous occupancy. Due to its difficulty, only four residential properties have received full certification. However, LBC offers other certifications, including Petal Certification and Net-Zero Building Certification.
For more, read our definitive guide: Living Building Challenge Certification for Homeowners: Advantages and Disadvantages
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method)
- focus areasOverall property sustainability, including where materials come from and how much your home contributes to pollution.
- Property Type: Commercial, residential and public buildings and properties.
- homeowner benefits: Accessible worldwide.
- Downsides: Not as comprehensive or flexible as some other programs.
- Cost: Depends on the size and scope of the project. Appraisers are also paid separately.
Established in UK in 1990, bream The world’s longest running method of assessing, rating and certifying buildings. BREEAM encourages designers, clients and others to think about low-carbon and low-impact design, reducing the energy demands made by a building before considering energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies. BREEAM is broad and also focuses on where products come from and who makes them.
earth advantage
- focus areas: making green home data available to the general public through residential and low-income housing, and Green Building Registry,
- Property Type: Residential Building.
- homeowner benefits: Promotes sustainability in highly affordable and low-income developments.
- Downsides: Not as comprehensive as other certifications.
- Cost: $0
Earth Advantage Certification Focuses on promoting sustainable construction practices that improve the environment and society by creating better model codes, building standards and certification systems. It certifies residential buildings, including single-family and multi-family, using separate rating systems for both. Earth Advantage can also certify projects for LEED.
In general, Earth Advantage buildings are healthier, more energy-efficient, and offer a lower cost of ownership over the lifetime of the building. To receive certification, a home must meet stringent criteria in five categories: energy, health, land, materials, and water.
SITES (The Sustainable Sites Initiative)
- focus areasThe planning, design, construction, and management of landscapes and other outdoor spaces. SITES does not verify buildings except in specific circumstances.
- Property Type: Commercial, residential and public outdoor spaces.
- homeowner benefits: Promotes sustainable landscaping and healthy outdoor living.
- Downsides: Expensive and only applicable to landscaping and outdoor areas. Best for larger properties or combined with other certifications.
- Cost: $6,500-$9,500 (less expensive for members).
sites is a sustainability-focused framework that guides landscape architects, engineers, and others toward practices that protect ecosystems and enhance the benefits of ecosystem services. Landscape architects, designers, engineers, architects, developers, policymakers, and others use sites to align land development and management with innovative sustainable design.
SITES also partners with LEED to create a complementary rating system that you can use independently or together. LEED applies to your project building and the site it is located on, and SITES applies to everything on your site except your building (with some exceptions).
Well Building Standard
- focus areas: The relationship between sustainability and human health, primarily in new construction.
- Property Type: Primarily commercial new construction, but also offers residential.
- homeowner benefits: Well Buildings are healthier for you and your family than many other certifications.
- Downsides: Incorporating WELL standards into an older building can be time consuming or prohibitively expensive.
- Cost: $2,500 for registration + $0.16 per square foot of property.
Well Building Standard, founded by the International Well Building Institute, focuses on building facilities that affect people’s health and well-being. Areas of concern include air, water, nutrition, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind, community and innovation. The Well Building Standard is the first standard to integrate human health and wellbeing into building certification.
WELL has also partnered with LEED to create a streamlined process for achieving double certification.
Passive House (Passivhaus)
- focus areas: Reducing energy use in buildings.
- Property Type: Commercial, Residential and Public.
- homeowner benefits: Remarkably low energy bills and comfortable indoor temperatures year-round.
- Downsides: focuses solely on energy use and is too harsh,
- Cost, determined by the examiner and varies widely depending on the square footage of the building.
Passive House Institute (PHI) based in Germany has developed this certification system. Buildings certified as Passive House must meet strict energy use requirements, focus on high-level thermal insulation, rigorous airtightness and maximizing energy gain from the sun. The result is a building that uses significantly less energy for heating and cooling than conventional buildings, often reducing the energy needed by up to 90%.
final thoughts
There are hundreds of other certification programs that focus on specific aspects of a building, such as water management And light pollution, some are even fed specific areas, If you want your home certified, do your research and establish a budget for membership, application, and certification, as well as design, planning, and maintenance. Additionally, you can rent a 3rd party Getting your home certified, though, can cost more.
Working towards a certified permanent home is important and beneficial, but it can be cost-prohibitive. If you don’t have the budget for certification, read about the program’s requirements and try to incorporate them into your project; You don’t need to be certified to make your home more sustainable or regenerative. No matter what you choose, incorporating sustainable practices into your lifestyle can help reduce your carbon footprint and contribute to a greener future.
