February 22, 2008
Lake Oswego, OR – Today (or give date), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recognizes a Camas, Washington, residence as receiving a LEED Gold certification under its LEED for Homes program. LEED for Homes is a USGBC green homes program that evaluates the environmental features of single and multi-family homes. LEED certified homes are designed to be energy efficient, environmentally sound, resource friendly, and healthy places for its occupants.
Achieving a LEED Gold rating, this is the first home to be LEED certified in Southwest Washington. The home was built by Renaissance Homes, Lake Oswego, Oregon. To date, in the Northwest, 141 homes have been certified in the LEED for Homes program. LEED will provide national consistency in defining what constitutes a green home. Rising energy and water costs concern many homeowners, and LEED certified homes are energy efficient and consume fewer resources than conventional houses.
LEED is a national brand that potential homeowners and tenants can look for – to readily identify true green homes. LEED certified homes consume less energy, use less water, and are safe and healthy places for their families to live. All LEED Homes are third party inspected, performance tested, and certified to be higher-performing than conventional homes.
A LEED certified home includes high performance features designed to provide improved heath, safety, comfort, and lower operating costs. LEED certified homes are also more environmentally friendly, more durable, less polluting, and make substantially better use of resources. In addition, the net cost of owning a green home may be no more than the net cost of a conventional home.
“This will be an exceptionally tight home. It is an ambitious project for us, but I think we’ll be able to improve Renaissance’s Living Green initiative by measuring the results. We’re seeking the best of all worlds, systems that are cost effective from both home owner and builder perspectives,” said Renaissance President, Randy Sebastian.
The 2,500-square-foot, three bedroom, 2.5 bath home was built for a client who requested the latest in green innovations. Renaissance jumped onboard to test the economic and energy-saving practicality of a number of green building techniques with the hope to one day build all of their homes LEED. This home features keeping all storm water onsite, concrete foundation containing fly ash, framing lumber from the Warm Springs mill which cuts from Forest Stewardship Council certified sustainable forests and windows, Rain Screen exterior wall system, open web floor joists, 95 percent efficiency furnace just to name a few.
Twelve local and regional organizations, called LEED for Homes Providers, have formal responsibility for rating LEED Homes. Renaissance Homes worked with Earth Advantage®, Inc. on this project to ensure the LEED for Homes standards were met. Earth Advantage played an instrumental role in the development and launch of the LEED for Homes program and has trained several LEED Raters and LEED Program Providers nationwide. A complete list of the LEED for Homes Providers can be found on the USGBC Web site at: www.usgbc.org/leed/homes.
Renaissance Homes is one of the area’s largest residential builders and has been recognized with numerous green building awards. Renaissance is one of Oregon’s only builders with a Manager of Building Science on staff to oversee and improve the firm’s Living Green sustainability programs. Besides southwest Washington, it has neighborhoods underway across the state of Oregon in Forest Grove, West Linn, Beaverton, southwest Portland, on the OGA golf course at Tukwila and also in Bend.
Renaissance Homes
16771 Boones Ferry Road
Lake Oswego, Oregon 97035
Voice: 503-636-5600
Fax: 503-635-8400
Emergency Service: 503-496-0711 or 866-567-6225
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