LEED™Green Building Design
A Green Idea
The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) Green Building Rating System™ was devised as a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED was initially created by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to establish a common measurement to define “green building.” It has since grown into a program aimed at raising awareness of and promoting integrated “green” building projects.
- Rainwater can be stored and used for irrigation, gray water management, and water features
- Collection and retention of storm water diverts water from treatment facilities, resulting in cleaner lakes, rivers, oceans and other receivers of wastewater
- Saves homeowners money by reducing water bills and reduces demand on municipal water supply
- Sustaining the environment contributes to overall conservation of our natural resources
How does a building become a “green” building?
Through design and construction that concentrates on:
- Conserving water;
- Reducing energy consumption;
- Reducing the depletion of natural resources and materials;
- Creating a sustainable site;
- Use of innovative design; and
- Improving indoor environmental quality.
To become LEED™ certified, the building is rated by these six categories. Within each category, points are awarded based on the LEED Green Building Rating System™.
LEED™ awards points to building designs for a variety of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly features, from the installation of radiant heating to reduction of energy consumption, to grey water recycling, to the use of local building materials that require less energy to transport.
The green building movement is an essential part of the solution to the energy, resource, and climate issues our country faces. In the United States, buildings annually account for 39% of the U.S. primary energy use; 70% of the U.S. resource consumption; consume 40% of raw materials globally; and use 12.2% of all potable water, or 15 trillion gallons per year.
LEED™ points are not given to individual products, but to an aggregate of the building system that saves water, energy, and contributes to a healthy indoor environment. An example of this is Wal-Mart’s use of green building designs on a prototype store in Dallas, Texas, one feature of the design is the capture of rainwater for use throughout the building and grounds; i.e. rainwater harvesting.
On average, a LEED™ certified building uses 30% less water than a conventional building, which translates to more than 1 million gallons of water saved per year. Reducing the amount of water that needs to be conveyed to and treated by municipal wastewater treatment facilities also reduces pumping and process energy required to these systems. LEED™, through practices like rainwater harvesting, promotes on-site storage and use of rainwater to lower water consumption cost, and it reduces the impact on storm drainage and municipal treatment systems.
Interested in a rain water collection system for your residential or commercial property? Contact us today to schedule a free estimate.
