LEED COMPLIANCE

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria. Read about some of our criteria here.

We employ rooftop solar panels for a completely off-grid design, drought tolerant and only natural landscaping, oriented to capitalize on maximal power generation and natural sunlight collection, a subterranean basement to cool the home in summer, and many others.

ID 1.5: Building orientation for Solar Design: East-west axis of home is within 15 degrees of due east-west; major expanses of garage and main home roof face nearly due south; capture 100% of available light with zero obstruction; pitch of roof is optimal angle for our latitiude, namely:
-- Position solar cells to orient 57 degrees from horizon
-- Sunset position varies plus (June) and minus (December) 28 degrees from due west
-- 8:12 pitch roof has south facing roof area

ID 2.0 Site Selection: Built above 100-year floodplain as defined by FEMA (at 5415 feet above sea level, we have built above floodplain as defined by GOD); Not built on habitat for threatened or endangered species (unless you count humans as endangered species, which I believe we are); Not built within 100 feet of water, including wetlands.

ID 5.0 Community Resources/Transit: OK, we fail this one, there is no community transit.

ID 6.0 Access to Open Space: Bordered by the Cleveland National Forest.

LL 1.0 Site Stewardship: All Erosion Controls met during construction; Minimized disturbance during construction.

LL 2.0 Landscaping: No invasive plants; all turf drought tolerant (there is not turf); all plants are native (with debatable exception of Sequoiadendron giganteum); there is no irrigation other than what God provides.

LL 4.0 Surface Water Management: The forest exceeds LEED specifications (and most human endeavors at this).

LL 5.0 Nontoxic Pest Control: All wood at least 12" above soil; seal all cracks etc. with caulking and pest-proof screens; instlal landscaping so mature plants at least 24" from home (how about 150 feet?).

WE 1.0 Water Reuse: 100% of rainwater captured and re-used; 100% of gray water captured and re-used.

WE 2.0 Irrigation System: None; The forest exceeds LEED.

WE 3.0 Indoor Water Use: High efficiency fixtures and fittings.

EA 1.0: All appliances ENERGY STAR rated, including three zoned ultra-efficiency furnaces.

EA 2.0 Insulation: SIP Panels meet or exceed all insulation specifications for walls, roof, and floors.

EA 3.0 Air Infiltration: Minimal envelope leakage.

EA 4.0 Windows: All windows double panel E-glass.

EA 7.0: Water heating: Instant on, no storage of heated water.

EA 8.0 Lighting: ENERGY STAR lights. Lets not talk about lights and the County of San Diego, we meet or exceed everything they specify.

EA 9.0 Appliances: All appliances ENERGY STAR rated.

EA 10. Renewable Energy: Yes, all solar powered, off grid.

AE 1.0: Awareness of homeowner (Yes).