When you are in the market to rent or buy a green home, it may not be particularly advisable to take the realtor’s subjective opinion at face value. Not surprisingly, it is in the best interest of the realtor to sell you the home, so he or she may play up the “green” features of the home you are considering. How, then, can you objectively compare the level of environmental friendliness of two comparable green homes?

Thankfully, there is a standardized rating system in place called LEED for Homes. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. This voluntary third-party certification program is a nationally accepted benchmark for rating the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green housing.

Housing that has been certified by LEED for Homes gives potential buyers and tenants greater assurance in the environmental friendliness of a given building. The LEED for Homes program addresses several areas, including energy efficiency, health standards, and minimization of waste generated. By purchasing a LEED home, buyers can expect to save on energy costs and be exposed to less mold, mildew, and other indoor toxins.

In order to achieve LEED certification, a building must be inspected by a certified third party. There are many LEED for Homes providers across the United States and a full list of these providers can be found on the U.S. Green Building Council website.

The LEED for Homes certification process for green homes consists of a 114-page manual. A quantitative score is tabulated based on the home’s performance in eight core areas:

• Innovation & Design Process (ID)
• Location & Linkages (LL)
• Sustainable Sites (SS)
• Water Efficiency (WE)
• Energy & Atmosphere (EA)
• Materials & Resources (MR)
• Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ)
• Awareness & Education (AE)

In total, there are 136 points available under this system. Based on the number of points earned, a green home is given a certain LEED for Homes Certification Level: Certified (45-59 points), Silver (60-74 points), Gold (75-89), or Platinum (90-136). The requirements are highly stringent, so achieving any of these certification levels is quite the challenge.

LEED for Homes certification is not free. Builders must first be registered with the program. Registration fees vary from $150 to $600, depending on whether certification is needed for single-family or multi-family housing, and whether the builder is a USGBC member or not. From there, each certification comes at an additional fee. This is $225 to $300 for single-family housing and $0.035 to $0.045 per square foot for multi-family housing. Volume pricing is also available.

For more in-depth information about the LEED for Homes certification program, check the official LEED for Homes Rating System document (PDF) and the LEED for Homes Project Checklist (XLS).