LEED Platinum House

A prefab home, called "Unity House," was completed by Bensonwood Homes of Walpole, N.H., in collaboration with an M.IT. research consortium. The house built for Unity College, in Unity, Maine, has just been granted LEED Platinum designation by the U.S. Green Building Council. Designed for net-zero energy use, the house is actually performing ahead of expectations, even in Maine's severe winter weather where the temperatures in December slid to -15 degrees. LEED Platinum has been awarded to only 200+ homes in America.

The residents of Unity House, Cindy and Mitchell Thomashow, Mitchell is the President of the college, are blogging about their experience. It is an informative blog! Interestingly, Unity College calls itself "America's Environmental College." This house is the first in a master plan to convert the entire campus into a zero carbon institution.

A short slide show of photos, including the interior of the 1,900/sf house, can be found at the end of this article.