Green Homes Continue to Grow Across the U.S.
Posted
06/13/2012
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently announced that
more than 20,000 homes across the U.S. have earned certification
through the LEED for Homes program. LEED for Homes is a national
voluntary certification system that provides guidance and
verification that homes are designed and built to be energy- and
resource-efficient and healthy for occupants.
"There are green homes, and then there are LEED homes. This
milestone is evidence that the residential market is increasingly
recognizing this fact," said Nate Kredich, Vice President of
Residential Market Development, USGBC. "LEED for Homes is moving
the residential market further and faster towards high-performing,
healthy homes that save residents money."
The collection of LEED-certified homes is as varied as the whole
of the residential market - from multi- to single-family, from
market rate to affordable housing. Since the launch of LEED for
Homes in 2008, more than 20,000 residential units have certified
with nearly 79,000 additional units in the pipeline. Over half of
all LEED-certified homes are in the affordable housing
category.
Recently-certified projects include:
- Eight LEED Platinum certified affordable homes in the Coconut
Cove development in Cape Coral, Florida, developed by Southwest
Florida Affordable Housing Choice Foundation, Inc. and built by
Owen-Ames-Kimball Company
- AMLI at Escena, the first two LEED Gold low-rise multifamily
buildings in Texas, built by AMLI Residential
- KAPSARC Villa B-19 in Riyadh, one of the first LEED for Homes
International Pilot projects to certify - located in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia, the LEED Silver home is one of 191 single family production
homes built by SK Engineering and Construction as part of Phase I
for KAPSARC
Green homes are expected to grow to between 29 to 38 percent of
the residential construction market by 2016, equating to $87-$114
billion, according to a 2012 McGraw Hill Construction study. To
learn more about LEED for Homes, visit usgbc.org/LEED/Homes.