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More than half of all electricity consumers in the U.S. have the option of purchasing some kind of green power product from their electricity provider. Find out how you can buy green power by visiting the Department of Energy.
Green Building Certifications
The LEED certification provides third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. Additionally, it provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. LEED is flexible enough to apply to all building types – commercial as well as residential. It works throughout the building lifecycle – design and construction, operations and maintenance, tenant fitout, and significant retrofit. The LEED system is based on a 100-point scale and buildings can be awarded with Certified, Silver, Gold, or the highest, Platinum ratings. -USGBC
The National Green Building Standard provides third-party verfication of single-family & multi-unit homes, residential remodeling projects, and site developments. The certification has undergone the full consensus process and has recieved American National Standards Institute approval. Certifications address key green construction areas including – Lot & Site Development, Resource Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Water Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Homeowner Education. The National Green Building Standard system has four threshold levels including Bronze, Silver, Gold, and the highest, Emerald. -NAHB
The Green Globes system is a management tool that includes an assessment protocol, rating system, and guide for integrating environmentally friendly design into buildings. Environmental impacts are comprehensively assessed in areas including energy, indoor environment, site, water, resources, emissions, and project/environmental management. The certification is available to new construction (NC) and continual improvement of existing buildings (CIEB). The Green Globes system is based on a 1000-point scale in which 35% of points is needed to qualify for certification. The rating is allocated on a scale of one to four globes. -GBI