Build green, it pays off

The ERE 132 is certified LEED® Platinum. Discover its environmental and ... economic benefits!

WHAT IS LEED® CERTIFICATION?

LEED® Canada for housing is a certification for residential buildings that are deemed both environmentally friendly and healthy. It has become an internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance sustainable buildings.

There are 1,869 certified units (or units in the process of being certified) in Quebec. Among them, 23% have obtained LEED® Platinum certification..

The certification is awarded by an independent agency. It is based on a system of 136 points that recognizes the building’s performance in 8 areas. These areas must be considered as having positive impacts, both environmentally and socially. The building construction is thus evaluated on its integration of environmental practices and techniques that go beyond the standards of conventional construction.

A minimum of points is required to be LEED® certified.

The projects that exceed this minimum threshold obtain one of the four levels of certification:

• Platinum
• Gold
• Silver
• Certified

ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE OF A LEED® CERTIFIED HOME

* The designers were planing to get an extra 7 points in that category by collecting and using rain water for irrigation instead of drinking water. Unfortunately this system wasn't ready when the evaluation was conducted.