Going green to conserve the environment and promote sustainable designs sounds like an amazing thing to do for your country. You can go green by building your home in a good location, painting or repainting your house with paint that is environmentally friendly (such as Benjamin Moore paint), and using the right materials and resources for construction among other things.
To get paints that are environmentally friendly, make sure you do some research on paint stores in your area. Find a shop that is concerned with its environs. Also, if you need any more information on how to use paint sparingly and still achieve its maximum use, don’t be afraid to ask reputable paint store owners or workers. They are well versed with knowledge on how paints and painting can help you achieve LEED Certification.
What more can you do to help your planet be a more environmentally friendly place?
One thing is for sure: you can go green by getting LEED certification for your home! LEED Certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a building rating system formulated by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). Under this rating system, a building earns points on its ability to adopt energy saving systems, being able to mitigate run-off water, undertaking proper waste disposal, and more.
When and how do you qualify for LEED Certification?
Whether you are building a new home or renovating your home, getting a LEED Certification can be very complicated. Your building has to earn as many points as possible so that it can be termed as a sustainable building. You have to follow the set guidelines to the letter and also, your contractors or builders have to be aware of the set standards to avoid lowering your credit points.
In order for your building or home to earn LEED Certification, it has to meet certain guidelines within the following categories.
- Location– There are credit points for where you build your home or where your house is in case you are renovating. You stand to earn more points if your house is near water or sewer lines because no infrastructure has to be put there which would otherwise cause land disturbance. Additionally, your building will earn more points if it is close to other buildings or within a community.
One may expect that LEED guidelines would be to reduce over population by building houses miles away from each other but that is not the case. Dense buildings make it easy to use environmentally friendly transportation like trains and buses.
- Energy Saving Standards– All homes with LEED Certification are required to meet the ENERGY STAR standards as a precondition for qualifying for the program. Your home must be 20 to 30% more energy efficient than other homes in your community. You can meet the set standards by mounting better insulation or windows as well as using light bulbs and appliances that are energy saving.
- Education and Awareness– If you have tenants, you earn points for educating them on LEED guidelines such as energy saving techniques, water and waste recycling systems, using the right materials, and more. You can also advise your constructors and painters on the right paints to use if you are house painting.
The reason behind this guideline is that even if you observe all the rules and requirements, if the people using the house or constructing it are not following them, you stand to lose credit points.
- Materials and Resources that help conserve the environment– The materials and resources you use when building the house should always conserve the environment. For instance, the LEED green building rating system requires one to use paints that meet the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) Limits.
The texture paint and the elements contained in the paint should be able to keep the environment clean and free of dust particles. Therefore, whether its exterior paint or interior paint, you should always use paints that meet the required standards such as Benjamin Moore Paints from JC Licht paint distributors.
When looking for paint, always visit a paint shop that only sells paints adhering to the VOC Limits. If there are no good paint shops around you, you can just Google something like “paint supplies near me” and from there you can narrow down the best paints and paint shops in your local area.
- Avoid wasting building materials –Not many people are in the habit of conserving building materials. However, LEED guidelines require you to use construction materials sparingly. You need to make the most out of roofing materials, framing materials, and any other building materials on a project. In addition, water should be used sparingly to avoid waste. You should also learn how to recycle it.
- Innovation –Any new innovations that help in environmental conservation or in constructing sustainable buildings can help you earn more credit points. Therefore, creativity and innovations in conservative techniques can go a long way in getting you an LEED Certification.
What are some of the benefits of getting LEED Certification
Some of the benefits include:
- Water and Energy savings
- Lower operational costs are incurred
- Construction materials are used sparingly and can thus be used more than once
- Liabilities are reduced
- Reliable indoor air quality
- Lower rate of staff turnover since they are satisfied and happy in their place of work
- Attracts tenants to your buildings, especially those who love living in communities as well as those who appreciate sustainability
Who uses LEED Certification?
Different states including California, New York, Washington, and Oregon have implemented LEED for public buildings. Other countries such as India and China are expressing interest in this building rating system and thus the movement for promoting a safe, healthy, and sustainable environment is on the rise. Depending on the country you are in, guidelines and conditions for getting LEED Certification differ and therefore you should contact USGBS for more details.
For more on paints that can help you achieve LEED Certification today, contact JC Licht paint distributors for professional advice and assistance!
