NAHB Expands Green Building Standards

Washington, DC, Feb. 5, 2009--Today the National Association of Home Builders is expanding its green building guidelines to include a new certification standard covering remodeling projects, as well as any new residential construction work including single-family homes, apartments and condos and land development.

While other groups have green remodeling certification programs, including the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, NAHB says its National Green Building Standard is the first green rating system for homes to be approved by the American National Standards Institute. It also requires independent inspection from an NAHB-trained verifier.

The NAHB certification will address issues including energy efficiency, water efficiency and indoor environmental quality, among other things, and include a new “Emerald” score for the top-rated projects. (There’s already a bronze, silver and gold rating.)

The group charges a $200 certification fee, not including the costs of inspection, which it says typically runs $300 to $700.

The NAHB, which represents green and non-green builders, says there’s no hard appraisal evidence yet that green homes sell for a premium, though it thinks that may happen in the near future. However, according to a McGraw-Hill Construction report last year, one-third of home buyers surveyed said they were willing to pay a $20,000 premium for a green home. A key factor: the promise of reduced operational costs.