Tri-County Truss can help you earn points for the green building program you want to use on your next project. By their nature, trusses use the least amount of wood possible and we make every effort to reduce waste
There are many green building rating systems available in Washington, and more and more local jurisdictions are developing their own standards. Have your architect or project manager contact us early in the design process so we can work together to meet your specific project goals.
LEED Projects
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and is the premier, internationally-renowned green building program from the U.S. Green Building Council. For LEED projects, our trusses can help you meet the following credits:
LEED for Homes:
- EA 2: Insulation (raised heels for insulation)
- MR 1.4: Framing Efficiencies (open web floor trusses)
- MR 1.5: Off-site Fabrication
- MR 2.2: Environmentally Preferable Products(local production)
LEED for Homes:
- EA Prerequisite 2: Minimum Energy Performace (raised heels for insulation)
- EA 1: Optimize Energy Performance (raised heels for insulation)
- MR 5.1/5.2: Regional Materials
- MR 7: Certified Wood (when FSC certified wood is procured)
Unlike most other plants in the area, we even substitute in 2" x 3" where allowed by the engineering. Other companies try to sell against that, ''We don't use that cheap lumber.'' Well, smaller lumber in the trusses means less wood in the air, means more green merit points for your buildings. And it IS engineered, the lumber is sufficient to the need or we don’t put it in.
Please have your architect or LEED AP contact us early in the design process so we can help maximize LEED credits and achieve your project goals.
Certified Sustainable Lumber
You’ve heard of this? So have we. The FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certifies that lumber is harvested with a certain degree of care and is in constant, trackable custody throughout its life cycle. However, stress-graded lumber, which makes up most of engineered wood trusses, is almost unheard of in the tiny FSC market. The members of SFI (Sustainable Forest Initiative) claim to practice similar forest management without the higher cost or the trackability. And if you want to see a real finger-pointing match, just look at their for and against websites.
As with any rapidly changing aspect of any industry, TCT recommends that you do your own research to decide what is valid, what is worthwhile, what is hype, and what simply hasn’t settled yet.
Lumber Conservation by Design
Unlike most other plants in the area, we substitute 2x3" where allowed per engineering to conserve lumber resources. Other companies try to sell against that, "We don't use that cheap lumber," because they lack the vision to be environmentally friendly. Many green building rating systems encourage smaller lumber pieces, and the engineering is your insurance that 2x3" will work adequately.
Energy Conservation by Design
Roof trusses can be designed with raised heel heights to allow for more insulation at the roof edge, often called "energy heels". When insulation is compressed where roof rafters meet the top plate of exterior walls, it loses most of its R-value. Most green building programs advise against this because of the significant energy loss. A simple 12" raise will allow your insulation to perform to its full R-value at this critical location, and save building owners money on their energy bills.
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