LEEDuser’s viewpoint
Explore this LEED credit
Post your questions on this credit in the forum, and click on the credit language tab to review to the LEED requirements.
Credit language
© 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:- White concrete
- Open pavers (counting only the vegetation, not the pavers); and
- Any material with a solar reflectance index (SRI) of at least 29.
What does it cost?
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.
Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »Frequently asked questions
See all forum discussions about this credit »Documentation toolkit
The motherlode of cheat sheets
LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.
© 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:- White concrete
- Open pavers (counting only the vegetation, not the pavers); and
- Any material with a solar reflectance index (SRI) of at least 29.
