According the USGBC, LEED-H is being developed with input from local and national stakeholder groups. It is a voluntary initiative promoting the transformation of the mainstream home building industry towards more sustainable practices.

Only 12 demonstration homes across the U.S. have been selected to undergo rigorous examination in the following areas: Energy Star Labeled Home; Durability Plan; Waste Management Plan; Site Protections; Owners Manual; and Health and Safety Measures.

To achieve an expected LEED-H Gold Rating, BASF is currently working with a host of partners, including the Building America team at Steve Winter Associates through a Department of Housing and Urban Development Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing grant; Christner Group, a green building solution provider; Environmental Services Management Group; EAM, Energy Star Partners; and McGrann Associates, the LEED-H provider for the region.

This educational housing project will incorporate Zero-Energy housing concepts from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, be designed to achieve a 93 HERS Energy Star score and with the inclusion of solar panels, support New Jersey's Solar Initiative Program.

The Better Home Better Planet: Near Zero Energy Home-Paterson, N.J., is set to open in early 2006 and will be the site for a number of seminars and tours to provide green design solutions for building healthy, energy-efficient, high-performance and economical homes to architects, builders, government officials, homeowners, realtors, financial institutions and other interested parties.

Once the construction and demonstration phases are completed at year-end, the Paterson home will be donated to St. Michael's Housing Corporation. This organization will then turn over the home to a local family with a quadriplegic boy to occupy.