LEED the Way

The project is moving forward despite the lack of details over the past few weeks. We recently met with an engineering firm in Missoula, which all but solidified the project team which will be unveiled next week. The remaining part of the puzzle, and a big part at that, is to finalize a working relationship with a LEED Provider to register, administer, and ultimately certify the project under the auspice of the LEED for Homes rating system created by the USGBC.

As Montana does not have a nominated Provider, I am contacting adjacent states to try and create a working relationship for moving this project forward. As a LEED AP, my knowledge is geared towards commercial structures through the LEED NC, CI, and EB programs. Even though I feel confident I could work inline with the LEED H criteria, I am busy communicating with various LEED Provider entities. To that note, I have presently made contact with Earth Advantage (www.earthadvantage.com) out of Oregon and Arch Energy (www.archenergy.com) out of Colorado. I am hopeful one of these outfits will show interest in the project and put forth a comprehensive overview of services customized for our project from A to Z. With our now scheduled first Charrette for the first week of April, I am pressing to solidify this relationship sooner than later. I am a firm believer in the LEED system, but must admit that establishing a working relationship within the LEED structure has been most difficult. I believe this will change as the USGBC and the LEED system grow and as more and more LEED professionals come online to offer such services nationwide.

As a result of this, I am now pursuing additional avenues to bolster my abilities to act, consult, and work on all aspects of LEED projects. In reading previous entries, you will note that under the LEED Home rating system, it is the requirement of the rating system that a LEED accredited Energy Rater work directly on the project. The Energy Rater is hired and managed by the Provider to handle site visits, collection of information on the project pursuant to criteria attainment, and culminate all materials for presentation to the Provider for review and submittal to the USGBC panel for final certification. I will be flying to Colorado where I will take place in a weeklong workshop put on by an Energy Rater firm, Energy Logic (www.nrglogic.com). The weeklong workshop will culminate with the national exam and two months of required energy rater practice to obtain the official HERS (Home Energy Rating Standard) Energy Rater status. With this knowledge I will be both educated to the intricacies of our own personal residential build, but more so will cultivate the LEED AP and Energy Rater accolades into a working Green / Energy consulting business which I will debut later this year. Fittingly enough, the name of my business is Abundant Tomorrrow.

In the next week, I will plan on unveiling the nominated project team, introducing the LEED Provider, and sharing some personal comments on our Dream Home and how I feel its design ties into the framework of the Green Building movement.

Until then, keep your dreams alive, and move forward with the Power of Intention.

Wishing you all an Abundant Tomorrow!

Tim