NAHB brings green building home

Fueled by growing consumer interest, energy prices and talk of global warming, demand for green building is growing faster than ever. The interest has resulted in a wide range of rating systems, guidelines and programs to assist in building green, but the number of voices and their messages can be confusing.

In 1994, the city of Austin started a green building program. Since then, programs such as Built Green of Metropolitan Denver, Earth Craft Homes of Atlanta, Built Green Washington, and national programs such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star, the American Lung Association’s Healthy House effort, the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Homes and the National Association of Home Builders’ Model Green Building Guidelines have strived to define energy-efficient, sustainable and environmentally friendly homes.

In 2004, NAHB convened a group of builders, researchers, manufacturers, environmentalists and government agencies to write the NAHB Model Green Building Guidelines. In August, the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield adopted the guidelines as the foundation of its local green building program. NAHB members voted in 2006 to take the guidelines through the American National Standards Institute certification process. Additionally, the International Code Council and NAHB have partnered to develop and publish the first residential green building standard. The National Green Building Standard is scheduled to be available in early 2008. It will be applicable to all residential construction types, including single-family and multifamily units, remodeling and land development projects.

When discussing green building, most people only think of energy efficiency, but indoor air quality, water conservation, site design and material/resource conservation represent other critical categories. National rating programs cover some or all of these categories in various ways.

The Healthy House Program is primarily concerned with indoor air quality. Nearly 750,000 homes are Energy Star-rated. The Energy Star efficiency concept serves as a platform for other programs. Earlier this year, Energy Star launched a pilot indoor air package of standards and practices as a supporting element to its existing program. Only USGBC’s LEED-H and NAHB’S Model Guidelines – the future ANSI Standard – cover the entire scope of categories for residential construction on a nationwide scale.

USGBC has announced that later this year, LEED-H will switch from the current pilot to a working program. Builders who participated in the LEED-H pilot reported that the rating system is costly to comply with, allows little flexibility and, if mandated, will undoubtedly have a negative impact on housing affordability. Alterations to the program were made by reducing the number of mandatory prerequisites and addressing home size issues. The cost for third-party review and certification is subject to significant variables. LEED-H staff hopes that the national rollout process will lower the costs for its rating system.

Flexibility and affordability are primary concerns of NAHB’s Model Guidelines. The ANSI-standard green building program being developed through NAHB will be administered by the NAHB Research Center. The NAHB-RC will establish certification and quality assurance protocols through partnerships with local utility companies and existing Energy Star providers. Interactive Web-based software will allow NAHB builders to compare the rating value and cost of various products while designing a project. NAHB is also developing a new Web site to serve as a one-stop shop for green building resources.

NAHB believes that green building must remain voluntary, flexible and market-driven. No matter how green a new home may be built, it will make little difference if the home does not meet the desires and budget of the homebuyer. With the ANSI-standard green building program, NAHB and the HBA of Greater Springfield will provide a market-driven and affordable choice for builders and, ultimately, homebuyers who want a higher standard of housing performance.

Sam Bradley is the owner of Springfield-based Sam Bradley Homes, chairman of the HBA of Greater Springfield’s green building committee and a national life director for NAHB. He may be reached at sam@sambradleyhomes.com.[[In-content Ad]]