LEED credits related to Windows

I often field questions relating to specific building components and how a business can determine how their product fits into LEED criteria. The following information is specific to windows and LEED but may also work for other building products as well. It should help to not only to find out how a product relates to LEED, but also to give perspective to what customers go through during the LEED process.

All of this can be found through the USGBC's website, but I thought it might be helpful to place it all in one place. I've included LEED-NC and LEED-H because those are the standards I get the most questions about. Of course, everything depends on the product, the project, and how the builder/customer ends up using and documenting the product.

LEED-Homes relating to Windows

LEED H Checklist – Customers use this to determine which points their project is eligible to receive and help them through the documentation process.

LEED H v2.0 Guide – The latest version of LEED Homes. See Table 18 for information on EnergyStar requirements for windows. A new guide is coming out in 2009.

LEED H Pricing - if your customer is building a LEED-Homes project, here are the fees they may be incurring in addition to the green products they are including.

LEED H EPP list – To see a better list, see page 80 of the LEED H guide. LEED Homes allows each building component to be eligible for points based on their environmentally-preferable attributes. For windows this includes FSC-certified wood, recycled-content, or reclaimed materials, and if all materials are extracted and manufactured within a 500 mile radius of the site they are eligible for the local credit. VOC content and other emissions do not count for points in LEED-Homes in windows.

LEED H VOC and Stains and Sealant list – Although windows are not technically eligible through emissions points in LEED-H, here are the limits for other products that might be used as a benchmark for your own green standards.

LEED-New Construction relating to Windows

LEED NC Checklist – Customers use this to determine which points their project is eligible to receive and help them through the documentation process.

LEED NC v2.2 guide – The latest version LEED New Construction

New Errata for LEED NC as of Oct 2007 - Please see MRc7 for information on FSC content as within LEED NC for components in windows.

LEED NC Certification Fees – if your customer is building a LEED-NC project, here are the fees they may be incurring in addition to the green products they are including.

LEED NC IEQ credits relating to Windows – Mostly refers to VOC content for applications that occur within the building. All other adhesives and VOC levels are labeled here.

LEED NC Adhesives Sealing Charts – The adhesive requirements for point eligibility (mainly used to applications on the site and not in a factory)

Minnesota GreenStar's Remodeling and New Home Construction program also has points relating to windows. I will post those shortly.