In the Spotlight:

Updated 4/9/2013

Comprehensive Home Assessment

To understand the requirements for an energy retrofit, you need to understand how the existing assemblies currently perform. Get a running start with our Comprehensive Home Assessment checklist, free with Unit One of BuildingGreen's High-Performance Building Assemblies online course.

The course includes 4 weekly online lessons with detailed videos of key topics, downloadable course materials (suitable for offline study), and an online quiz for CEU credit (AIA, LEED, BPI, NARI) available with Lesson 4. Click here to get the checklist free with the course.

Get The Missing Manual

Do you know which LEED credits have the most LEED Interpretations and addenda, and which have none? The Missing Manual does. Check here first to see where you need to update yourself, and share the link with your team.

Managing LEED Costs

Experienced cost estimators evaluate hundreds of specific technologies and approaches that teams are using right now to earn points in LEED-NC. Learn more about your best options for achieving specific LEED-NC credits -- and the cost implications of those options.

LEED-Existing Buildings readiness review

Identify the EBOM credits that are within easy reach — and learn the steps to achieve the hard ones.

What Makes a Building Product Green?

See GreenSpec's criteria for every major building product category.

How to Select Windows: Understanding 7 key decision drivers

The latest BuildingGreen special report includes:

  • Anatomy of a high-performance window
  • How to use NFRC ratings
  • The framework you need to make informed choices on windows
  • Smart strategies that save money

See the complete table of contents

For Educators: Free Green Building Course Syllabus

Sign up for a free campus-wide trial of BuildingGreen Suite and get a sustainable-design syllabus outline.

GreenSpec
Try Today

General Panel Corporation Structural Insulated Panels —


General Panel Corporation produces an EPS-core SIP system. The company offers panels with a EPS core thicknesses of 3-5/8", 5-5/8", 7-3/8", 9-3/8", and 11-3/8" with corresponding R-values of 15, 23,…

Earth Measure Dimension Stone —


Earth Measure, a collaboration between Coldspring and Jason F. McLennan, is a dimension stone product that takes waste from stone manufacturing and cuts it into specific patterns that mimic the…

BlueskinVP Water-Resistive Barrier —


Henry Company’s BlueskinVP house wrap is a water-resistive, vapor-permeable, air barrier membrane that contains a permeable adhesive layer, so it does not require mechanical attachment. BlueskinVP can…

Daikin Altherma —


Daikin’s Altherma is an air-source heat pump system that can provide heating, cooling, and domestic hot water. Altherma is available with split-type or outdoor-only heat pumps along with a “Hydrobox”…

ACDC12 Solar Air Conditioner —


The Securus ACDC12 is a solar hybrid heat-pump air conditioner and heater suitable for spaces up to 750 ft2, or to supplement a larger system. It may be connected to up to three PV panels (for a…

 > More green products from GreenSpec

 > More green product guidance

The Hidden Beltway Lobbyists Who Shape Green Building Policy

Author name:  Paula Melton Blog Category:  BuildingGreen's Top Stories Poison pill pushed by illegal lobbyists, or exciting, bipartisan energy bill that could change everything? It could be up to you. We’ve been keeping an eye on the sweeping Energy Savings and…

Read full blog entry…

LEEDUser

Get Ready for LEED-EBOM with Our Stress Test

Sure, most project teams get points for EAc6: Emissions Reduction Reporting (78% achievement rate in LEED-EBOM 2009). But how ready is your project team for the challenging credits—like EAc3.2, SSc6, and MRc6?
Read more

What does LEED certification cost, credit by credit? "The Cost of LEED" report breaks it down

Looking for LEED documentation? LEEDuser's Documentation Toolkits offer credit-by-credit samples and templates, as well as actual LEED Online form samples

LEEDuser Forum

sealant applied to clearance between double glazing
in NC 2009 IEQc4.1: Low-Emitting Materials—Adhesives and Sealants
Tuesday, 11:22 PM

RE: VAV FAN POWER BOX MODELING
in NC 2009 EAp2: Minimum Energy Performance
Tuesday, 10:13 PM

RE: Building Footprint
in PIf2: Project Summary Details
Tuesday, 9:28 PM

RE: Determining Zone 1 or Zone 2
in Pilot Credit 55: Bird Collision Deterrence
Tuesday, 9:26 PM

RE: Recycled Soil and Aggregate
in NC 2009 MRc4: Recycled Content
Tuesday, 4:46 PM

RE: Regarding LEED certification for District Cooling Plant
in New District Energy Guidance for LEED Released by USGBC
Tuesday, 4:29 PM

Can after school care be included in Joint use facilities?
in Schools SSc10: Joint Use of Facilities
Tuesday, 4:09 PM

Flexible furniture layout
in NC 2009 IEQc6.1: Controllability of Systems—Lighting
Tuesday, 3:59 PM

RE: v3 stormwater design vs v4 rainwater management
in LEED v4 Public Comment Forum - LEED Takes a New Direction
Tuesday, 11:55 AM

RE: Examples of PI F1, F2 and F3
in PIf1: Development Program and Site Type
Tuesday, 11:52 AM

10 Tips for Passing the LEED Green Associate Exam

Author name:  Paula Melton Blog Category:  BuildingGreen Talks LEED Despite waiting till the last minute to study, I got a really good score and became a LEED Green Associate. Here’s where I spill all my secrets! Let’s get one thing straight: I don’t usually…

Read full blog entry…

EBN Environmental Building News
Whole-Building Life-Cycle Assessment: Taking the Measure of a Green Building

Whole-Building Life-Cycle Assessment: Taking the Measure of a Green Building

Why we will never understand the true impact of our buildings—and how we should try to anyway

Read full article…

“We don’t look at the calculation that’s coming out as exact down to the last gram of carbon that’s been emitted or stored in the building, but it gives us a picture of how it’s performing.”

— Max Richter, of Perkins+Will, on the value of whole-building life-cycle assessment

From Whole-Building Life-Cycle Assessment: Taking the Measure of a Green Building
> Vol. 22 No. 5   > Past Issues