Rater solution and Greenbush LEED® registration completion

Today a compromise was reached about the LEED^® rater, who will verify that the house is built to the proper standards and will deliver this data to the LEED^® provider.

I wanted to use someone local to the Greenbush project, but a LEED-trained rater is not available in the region (a common occurance in rural areas). Currently, there are only a few raters with LEED-H training (LEED has plans to add more eventually). The closest is located in the cities, which is 6.5 hours away from the project.

However, a local RESnet energy rater has been found, and the LEED provider has okayed her involvement for the energy portion of the Greenbush project. She will not be able to sign off on any other data besides the energy portion, nor will she be able to receive official LEED training through the project, but she will gain LEED experience. She can become properly LEED trained later if she decides to.

The LEED rater (the rater for the non-energy portion) has agreed to minimize our travel costs as much as possible. I had hoped to get a guarantee from him that he wouldn't need to visit the site and that all data verification could be done digitally. He promised to try, but he has never worked with us or with our builder before, so it is understandable that this may not happen. Thankfully the worst case scenario is if that this project incurs a lot of travel expenses, it would still pave the way for future LEED projects in the area to go entirely digital and diminish travel expenses altogether.*

The LEED rater also applauded the fact that the project involves the local Community Alliance (our builder is from the NWCAA), because then the builder will gain green building experience that can spread throughout the community. I am going to invite other Community Alliances to look at the project so they can benefit as well.

So today I mailed the check into our LEED provider to complete the registration process. Here we go!

*(This is a pilot and a great deal of flexibility has been given. This is not business as usual because we don't know what the limitations will be when the program launches completely in a couple of months. LEED expects to add more people to cover a larger portion of the country sometime in the future.)

LEED® Project Registration for the Greenbush project

Registration is the first step for LEED®. Most projects are registered directly through the USGBC’s website. LEED for Homes is still in the pilot phase, so it is registered through a LEED for Homes provider. Providers are chosen by the USGBC to verify that the homes are built to meet LEED standards. They also market LEED to builders, provide rating support, offer LEED training, and supervise LEED qualified inspectors and support staff.

Once a project is registered, the next step is typically for the provider to arrange a meeting with the entire design team to determine how many points the project theoretically qualifies for. The provider then delegates the responsibilities of data collection per credit amongst the team members. The provider collects the data and verifies that it meets LEED criteria. At the end of the project, the provider assembles all credits and supporting data, and submits it to the LEED certification team as one complete package.

Currently there are 12 providers across the US, and the USGBC has plans to expand the provider list after the pilot has closed by approximately 10-15 providers on an annual or semi-annual basis, or as demand dictates. The closest provider to the Greenbush project is in Michigan. Normally at least one visit with the provider is done in person, but due to the Michigan provider's busy schedule, the project's remote location, and the wonders of technology, all communication and data might be able to be transferred electronically*

. Talk about sustainable!

So far the costs for LEED registration are as follows:

• Registration fee: $150
• Provider fee: $500
• Certification fee (paid at end of project): $50

In addition to using a LEED provider, an energy rater is needed for performance/commissioning testing. Additional energy tests can be performed to achieve more LEED points, and rates can vary from region to region. Because Greenbush is located in a remote location, this project may incur extra expenses for travel and lodging. One goal of this project is to facilitate green building for the average person in the area. If the energy rater cost is too high, I will look into alternatives.

*(This is a pilot and a great deal of flexibility has been given. This is not business as usual and will be not be the norm when the program launches completely in a couple of months. LEED expects to add more people to cover a larger portion of the country sometime in the future.)