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LEED v2008
Homes
Sustainable Sites
Local heat island effects

LEED CREDIT

Homes-v2008 SSc3: Local heat island effects 1 point

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Requirements

Prerequisites

None.

Credits

3 Reduce local heat island effects (1 point). Do one of the following:a) Locate trees or other plantings to provide shading for at least 50% of sidewalks, patios, and driveways within 50 feet of the home. Shading should be calculated for noon on June 21, when the sun is directly overhead, based on five years’ growth.b) Install light-colored, high-albedo materials or vegetation for at least 50% of sidewalks, patios, and driveways within 50 feet of the home. Acceptable strategies include the following:
  1. White concrete
  2. Open pavers (counting only the vegetation, not the pavers); and
  3. Any material with a solar reflectance index (SRI) of at least 29.
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Cost estimates for this credit

On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.

Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.

This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.

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USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

Prerequisites

None.

Credits

3 Reduce local heat island effects (1 point). Do one of the following:a) Locate trees or other plantings to provide shading for at least 50% of sidewalks, patios, and driveways within 50 feet of the home. Shading should be calculated for noon on June 21, when the sun is directly overhead, based on five years’ growth.b) Install light-colored, high-albedo materials or vegetation for at least 50% of sidewalks, patios, and driveways within 50 feet of the home. Acceptable strategies include the following:
  1. White concrete
  2. Open pavers (counting only the vegetation, not the pavers); and
  3. Any material with a solar reflectance index (SRI) of at least 29.
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