If you are building or remodeling a home in Atlanta, GA you have three programs to choose from in order to get your home certified as "green".  I'm going to write an article on each of these three programs.  The first program that we are going to look at is the USGBC LEED for Homes green building program.

 The USGBC, U.S. Green Building Council, is a non-profit company that certifies new commercial construction, existing commercial buildings, commercial interiors (the little shops inside a mall for example), commercial core and shell (the mall not including the little shops for example), schools, retail, healthcare, homes, and neighborhood developments.  Obviously what we are going to focus on is the LEED for Homes.

 There are green building certifications that are nation wide and there are green building programs that are regional.  LEED for Homes is a national program so LEED homes built here in Atlanta have the same guidelines as the ones built everywhere else in the country.  Currently Georgia has 11 LEED for Homes registered project.  Out of those eleven 6 are in Atlanta, 1 in Marietta, 1 in Decatur, 1 in Gainesville, 1 in Palmetto, and 1 in Pine Lake. 

To become LEED certified a project must earn points in different categories.  A project can be Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum.  Platinum being the highest score and Certified being the lowest qualifying score.  The categories a project can earn points in are:  Innovation and Design Process, Location and Linkages, Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Awareness and Education.

The LEED program has advantages and disadvantages.  It is a national program so it is easy to compare homes from Atlanta to other areas in the country.  While LEED has been around for a while the LEED for Homes program is fairly new.  There are only 11 LEED for Homes Projects in Atlanta right now which shows that the program is just starting.  Also, the LEED for Homes Program is geared toward new construction.  A major renovation would have to be done to get LEED certification on an existing home. 

 My next two articles will cover the Energy Star program and the Earth Craft program which is a regional program that encompasses Atlanta.