Energy Star now ‘Elder Star’ certified design I recently heard the term “Elder Star” compliant homes, just like the “Energy Star” appliances and lights that we have grown so familiar with. And I thought it was so apt! It’s high time we all spent a little more time thinking about meeting the needs of our

This blog expands on an earlier post about the 25 Principles of Building Biology and the Healthy Home Standard Checklist. Here we’ll dive deeper into the Indoor Air Quality Checklist, and focus on best practices for healthy appliances and building materials. This is part 3 of 3 – IAQ Checklist. Here is what Building Biologists thought were the

This is part of the series on the Healthy Home Standard, and this second part about EMR is a follow up from an earlier post (EMF Rules of Thumb). EMF best practices covers low frequency electric and magnetic fields, as well as Radio Frequency (RF) radiation. EMF best practices are intended to reduce exposure to Electromagnetic Fields

LEED EMF ID Credit Application The USGBC/LEED recently denied an Innovation in Design (ID) credit application for Magnetic Field (EMF) Reduction. This post includes the official LEED EMF ID Credit Application. The following text is in the traditional formal of an ID credit application and request for a Credit Interpretation Ruling (CIR). Unfortunately the USGBC

EMF LEED Credit Citing the need for more research on human health effects, and questioning long-established Building Biology approaches to minimizing electromagnetic fields (EMF), the USGBC and denied a recent application for a EMF LEED Credit. Healthy Building Science was the LEED for Homes (LEED-H) consultant for two residential properties (CA and NH) that intended

This blog expands on an early post about the 25 Principles of Building Biology and the Healthy Home Standard Checklist. Here we’ll start diving into the Indoor Air Quality Checklist, and focus on structural best practices for healthy home. Like so many things… a solid foundation is so important… and following these best practices for

Healthy Building Rating System Is there a “Healthy Building Rating System?”  I asked the same question five years ago, when Healthy Building Science was just getting off the ground. Having been a LEED and “green building” consultant for many years, I knew of several health-related credits in the major green building rating systems. The major

Envelope Commissioning Guidelines and Standards include ASHRAE 202P, NIBS Guideline 3, ASTM E2813, and LEEDv4 Enhanced Commissioning credit requirements. The December 2012 issue of Environmental Building News had a great article, Verifying Performance with Building Enclosure Commissioning, that did a great job outlining the differences between traditional mechanical Commissioning (Cx) (HVAC, lighting controls, plumbing, etc) and Building

No one rating system can isolate every possible environmental angle, and the International Institute of Building Biology founders were certainly most interested in human health, but it is hard to imagine a more comprehensive healthy building checklist than what’s provided in the Building Biology 25 Principles. It is quite difficult to incorporate every principle into

While we’d prefer everyone adopt green building principles because of carrots… sometimes it takes a stick! This compilation of San Francisco Bay Area Green Building Policies comes from Build It Green, creators of GreenPoint Rated, a residential green building rating system. Local Government Green Building Ordinances in California In recent years, numerous local governments in California