RDI's LEED Provider is Steven Winter Associates. SWA expects all the Solar Village homes to be certified as LEED for Homes Gold or Platinum. Following is a list of LEED for Homes credit categories and ways in which the Solar Village is earning those credits:

LEED for Homes Credits:
(Highlights of credits pursued for WWSV, not a list of all possible credits.)

Innovation & Design Process (ID):

• 1.0 Integrated Project Planning - Early in the planning process RDI met with the LEED provider to determine what credits would be pursued and what level of certification was the goal. The Solar Village planning process included several meetings with the Integrated Design Team. Several Design Charrettes were held to ensure that green strategies were integrated across all aspects of the project.
• 2.0 Durability Management Process - This process requires completing a durablity risk evaluation, taking steps to install durability measures and then having a third party verify that these measures have been installed. RDI has installed numerous durability measures which prevent damage from:
  • Exterior water
  • Interior moisture
  • Air infiltration
  • Interstitial (within the exterior wall) condensation
  • Pests
  • Heat loss
  • UV radiation
  • Natural disasters (none typical to this area of the country)
    
• 3.0 Innovative or Regional Design - RDI is pursuing two possible Innovative Design credits, both related to providing the simplest possible systems that will be effective in a small footprint, super insulated home. The two innovative features are:
  1. A single point heat source (a natural gas sealed combustion heater in the main living space) to heat the entire home
  2. An air distribution system which uses a quiet ceiling fan in the main living space to distribute fresh air through vents to the bedrooms

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Locations & Linkages (LL):

• 3.0 Preferred Locations - RDI is earning credits for siting the Solar Village so that 75% or more of the perimeter borders previously developed land.
• 4.0 Infrastructure - Each home in the village is located within 1/2 mile of existing water and sewer service lines.
• 6.0 Access to Open Space - The village has been planned to keep two large areas open for a playground, playing fields and a possible community garden.

Sustainable Sites (SS):

• 1.0 Site Stewardship - During construction disturbance of the site has been minimized and erosion controls have been put in place.
• 2.0 Landscaping - Drought tolerant, non-invasive plants are being planted. Turf is a drought tolerant variety. The expectation is that owners will not need to water turf or plantings once they are established. The homeowners' manual instructs buyers to use natural, non-toxic fertilizers.
• 4.0 Surface Water Management - WWSV's engineers and architects designed the site and the homes so that runoff from roofs and all impermeable surfaces will drain into permanent infiltration features.
• 5.0 Nontoxic Pest Control - Wood to concrete connections are separated; all cracks, joints and penetrations are caulked or otherwise sealed; foundation walls are solid concrete; landscaping plans keep mature plants at least 24" from walls.
• 6.0 Compact Development - The village has an average of 7.7 houses per acre.

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Water Efficiency (WE):

• 3.0 Indoor Water Use - Homes have very high efficiency showerheads and faucets and dual flush toilets.
  

Energy & Atmosphere (EA):

• 1.0 Optimize Energy Performance - It's a LEED prerequisite that all the homes meet the standards of ENERGY STAR for Homes. In addition, the first WWSV home has earned the maximum number of points (34) in the category of Exceptional Energy Performance. It's expected that the remaining nineteen homes will achieve the same standard.
• 7.0 Water Heating - All exposed hot water pipes have a minimum of R-4 insulation. Pipes within the walls are surrounded by cellulose insulation.

Materials & Resources (MR):

• 1.0 Material-Efficient Framing - As a developer of affordable housing RDI is careful to minimize framing waste for both financial and environmental reasons. Construction plans include detailed framing drawings. Advanced framing techniques are utilized for both energy efficiency and material efficiency.
• 2.0 Environmentally Preferable Products - Notice is given to all suppliers that RDI will not use tropical wood and that wood must be FSC certified. Suppliers are instructed to notify RDI if any wood being supplied fails to meet these requirements. A list is supplied by RDI to the vendors specifying which countries are considered tropical.
  
  RDI is earning points for using other Environmentally Preferable Products (EPPs) - low VOC paint (Eco-Spec from Benjamin Moore); 30% fly ash in all concrete; FSC certified locally grown hardwood flooring; Marmoleum resilient flooring; and locally produced cellulose insulation made of recycled newspaper.
• 3.0 Waste Management - RDI contracts with a local composter, Martin's Farm, to haul drywall and cardboard construction waste from the construction site. Remaining debris is kept to a minimum and records are kept tracking how much waste is hauled to the landfill. WWSV construction has been generating no more than 1 pound of waste per square foot of conditioned floor area.

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Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ):

• 2.0 Combustion Venting - There are no unvented combustion appliances. Space and water heating equipment is sealed combustion. Carbon monoxide monitors are installed on both floors. There are no fireplaces in the homes.
• 4.0 Basic Outdoor Air Ventilation - The main bath in each house has a very quiet 24 hour fan. The airflow can be increased when showering and turns down again on a timer. The second bath also has a fan with a timed switch. A third party tests the performance of these fans.
• 6.0 Distribution of Space Heating & Cooling - Room by Room load calculations for the homes were performed by a Steven Winter Associates engineer.
• 8.0 Contaminant Control - A preoccupancy flush is performed in all homes before the occupants move in. This involves opening windows and circulating fresh air for a total of 48 hours once construction has finished.
• 10.0 Garage Pollutant Protection - LEED awards points to the village homes for having no garages.

Awareness & Education (AE):

• 1.0 Education of the Homeowner - RDI provides each homeowner with an extensive operations and training manual at closing. The manual contains information on maintaining all the systems in the house, as well as manuals for all the different appliances and fixtures installed. The manual also explains how all the different aspects of the home are designed to work together and discusses how to live in a very energy efficient, super insulated, tight home. Separate Photovoltaic system and Solar Hot Water system manuals are also provided. RDI gives occupants a one-hour walk-through at closing.
  
  Ongoing buyers' meetings include periodic presentations by the engineer who designed the energy systems in the homes, the PV installer, and the solar hot water installer.
  
  Public awareness has been cultivated through signage at the entrance to the village and on individual homes, numerous newspaper and magazine articles, participation in the annual Green Buildings Open House,; and this website. A short film is also being produced which will be distributed to community cable stations nationwide.

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