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This morning I took part in a free LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) exam preparation class offered through the City of Richmond government. It was nice to get up and walk down to City Hall from my house. I was surprised by how many attended- lots of folks in industry as well as City government. I am not sure if I will wind up taking the LEED exam after the course since there is a fee associated it, but maybe, since passing it might help fill out my resume with a LEED credential.
At any rate, I learned a lot of things about LEED from this first class. It is important to note that there is different certification for commercial buildings from that of residences. It is also important to note that having a wood pellet stove does not automatically add points towards LEED certification. Here is a link to a good article that covers the basics when it comes to LEED and wood pellet stoves.
Excerpt:
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program was created by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which is committed to expanding sustainable building practices. LEED certification remains the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. Hearth products must not adversely affect indoor air quality to be approved for a LEED green building.
A second excerpt:
The USGBC LEED requires that all fireplaces and wood stoves have doors and that all wood burning fireplaces and stoves be EPA-certified or equivalent. Pellet stoves are also included in these standards as they meet EPA requirements.
The LEED program point system allows for either one point for Better Practice or two points for Best Practice for the installation of masonry wood-burning fireplaces, EPA-certified factory-built wood-burning fireplaces, wood stove and fireplace inserts, natural gas, propane, and EPA-certified or ASTM approved pellet stoves. To receive two points, a Back-Draft Potential Test must be done. This test is done using the results from a blower-door test and measuring the difference created by the presence of a chimney-vented appliance. (For specific information, visit LEED for Homes Rating System January 2008 EQ 2: Combustion Venting.)