One of the happiest – and greenest – outcomes in Habitat for Humanity’s quest to provide housing for low-income families is a recently completed ranch-style home just west of downtown Rochester, New York.

A dedication ceremony for the home, held in its front yard on September 26, highlighted the excitement of homeowner Fredericka Washington and her daughter, Courtney, and praised the efforts of Flower City Habitat for Humanity (the local affiliate) and the design and building professionals and other sponsors and volunteers who helped complete the project for about $102,000 in building costs.

Just as impressive, though, is the fact that the house – a three-bedroom, one-bath, with 1,056 sq. ft. of interior space – was completed with enough green features to make it the first Habitat home in Rochester to earn a LEED certification. The home was constructed using a waste-reducing framing system, and includes a tankless water heating system and low-flow fixtures, condensing-type furnace, additional wall insulation including soy-based spray foam, an Energy Star rating, extensive sorting and recycling of construction waste, and water-efficient landscaping. All that, and other features relevant to construction and site location, earned the property a LEED Gold rating.

As Bill Bartlett, construction manager for FCHH, told the Democrat & Chronicle, a similar home without all the green features would have cost about 10% to 15% less. The LEED certification process, including documentation and third-party verification, added $3,000 to the price.