PROGRAMS AND RATING SYSTEMS

US GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL LEED: The ‘Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design’ rating system, is a nationally accepted standard by the US Green Building Council for developing high performance, sustainable buildings.  It is a flexible system that can be adapted to meet the goals of different clients.  A LEED home must meet some prerequisites, and beyond that the client can choose what measures to pursue based on their specific goals.  There is a minimum point threshold for a building to be Certified, with Silver, Gold, and Platinum ratings for greater levels of achievement. 

The quality of a LEED home is ensured by third party verification and documentation. This verification includes on-site inspections and thorough performance testing to guarantee proper performance. The USGBC offers several programs REGREEN, for green home renovations and LEED for Homes.

Russell Campaigne has completed the testing required to become a LEED for Homes Accredited Professional.

We gained a wealth of knowledge with the design and certification of our Tall Timbers project, the first LEED Gold home in Connecticut.

ENERGY STAR:  Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. ENERGY STAR programs extend from appliances, to services, equipment, and the certification of homes.

To earn the ENERGY STAR, a home must meet strict guide- lines for energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These homes are at least 15% more energy effiecient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC), and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20-30% more efficient than standard homes.

CK Architects is an Energy Star Partner, and even prior to construction your project can be Designed to Earn the Energy Star. Energy Star homes are designed and constructed to comply with Energy Star standards related to Effective Insulation, High-Performance Windows, Tight Construction and Ducts, Efficient Heating and Cooling Equipment, Lighting and Appliances and verified by an independent Home Energy Rater.

The Energy Star Program serves as a first step toward meeting requirements for Federal, State, and local utilities requirements for energy rebates. Rebates vary from year to year and we can assist you in applying for available refunds and tax credits.



AIA:  The American Institute of Architects has issued a Practice Position Statement recognizing current patterns of resource consumption must be altered. The AIA is planning to promote sustainable design including resource conservation to achieve a minimum of 50% reduction from the current level of consumption of fossil fuels used to construct and operate new and renovated buildings by the year 2010, and promote further reductions of remaining fossil fuel consumption by 10% or more in each of the following 5 years. These are ambitious goals, but with the knowledge that buildings account for nearly half of all green house gas emissions and energy consumed in the US each year, our profession is poised to bring positive change in each project moving forward.