# LEED for Homes Reaches 50,000 Certified Housing Units

- Link: https://greenlivingguy.com/2014/01/leed-for-homes-50000-certified-units/
- Published: 2014-01-24T00:32:43-05:00
- Author: greenguruguides

**LEED for Homes certification** reached a major milestone in 2014 when the U.S.
Green Building Council announced its 50,000th certified residential unit.

## LEED for Homes Passed 50,000 Certified Units

_44 percent of the homes classified as affordable housing_

Washington, D.C. — (Jan. 23, 2014) — The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announces
the 50,000th LEED-certified green housing unit.

“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 chair, 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.”

Since the launch of the LEED for Homes rating system in 2007, the growth trajectory
of the world’s most widely used residential green building program has been dramatic.
From 392 housing units LEED-certified in 2007, the figure jumped to nearly 900 units
certified within the year 2008 and nearly 3,000 certified within 2009. In 2012 and
2013 alone, USGBC certified more than 15,000 and 17,000 housing units, respectively.

Of the 50,000-plus certified units, 74 percent are within multifamily buildings,
while 44 percent are classified as affordable housing. In addition, nearly 65 percent
of the total units were certified in the past two years, a strong indicator of the
continued momentum of the rating system.

There are also more than 82,000 units under construction and in the pipeline for
LEED certification.

The continued growth of LEED for Homes is attributable to its many proven benefits,
including enhanced property value, healthier indoor environments, and energy and
water savings that average 20 to 30 percent. LEED-certified homes are third-party
inspected, tested and performance-verified, offering homeowners and renters piece
of mind that their places of residence are efficient, saving them money and also
better for the natural environment.

In December 2013, USGBC also announced the [LEED certification of its 20,000th commercial project](https://www.usgbc.org/articles/us-green-building-council-certifies-20000th-leed-commercial-project).

For more information on the LEED for Homes rating system, visit [usgbc.org/homes](https://new.usgbc.org/).

For more on residential green building, see [how LEED homes can deliver energy savings for buyers](https://greenlivingguy.com/2016/09/mirabella-homes-leed-to-huge-savings-for-home-buyers/).

## Affordable Housing Was a Major Part of the Growth

A large share of the certified units were in multifamily and affordable housing.
That matters because green-building benefits are most valuable when they reach more
than luxury projects.

For more green-home coverage, see our [LEED home savings coverage](https://greenlivingguy.com/2016/09/mirabella-homes-leed-to-huge-savings-for-home-buyers/).

## Conclusion

The 50,000-unit milestone showed that residential green building was moving into
the mainstream. Efficiency, healthier interiors and verified performance were becoming
part of a broader housing market.

Source: [U.S. Green Building Council](https://www.usgbc.org/).

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 The Green Living Guy, Seth Leitman, is recognized as a green living guru and electric
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