The U.S. Green Building Council has approved its 50,000th structure under the group’s LEED for Homes program.
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating program for residences was launched in 2007.
“As one of the most rigorous green residential rating systems in the world, LEED for Homes is the standard against which all other such programs are measured,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chairman of the USGBC. “Despite its demanding technical aspects that set a high bar for green residential construction, LEED for Homes has also seen the broadest adoption among its peers — indicative of its position as the rating system of choice to guide the design and construction of healthier, high-performance homes.”
The program started with 392 housing units being certified in 2007. The next year, 900 units were certified and nearly 3,000 certified in 2009. In 2012 and 2013, the USGBC approved more than 15,000 and 17,000 housing units, respectively.
Seventy-four percent of the houses under the program are multifamily structures. And 44 percent also meet the criteria of “affordable” housing.
An additional 82,000 are homes being built to LEED standards are currently under construction, officials said.