Green Building
NAHB members build more than 80% of the homes in this country, and it is estimated that half of those incorporate at least some green practices into their development, design, and construction. A recent McGraw-Hill study predicts that the green building marketplace is expected to be worth nearly $60 billion by 2010.
Building green means incorporating environmental considerations and resource efficiency into every step of the home building and land development process to minimize environmental impact. During the design, construction, and operation of a home, energy and water efficiency, lot development, resource efficient building design and materials, indoor environmental quality and homeowner maintenance should all be considered. Although builders cannot entirely avoid affecting the environment when a house is built, green building can work toward minimizing that environmental impact.
To see how homes become green, click here.
Current Topics and Resources:
The NAHB Green Building Program
NAHB's National Green Building Program offers builders, remodelers, developers, and other home building professionals a variety of services to learn, incorporate, and market green building. Specific program components include:
This ANSI approved standard defines green building for single and multifamily homes, residential remodeling projects, and site development projects. It allows flexibility for regionally-appropriate best green practices.
Focusing on new single-family homes, the Guidelines were written to serve as a voluntary "baseline" so that NAHB members could easily develop local green building programs.
This annual conference features exhibits, education sessions, networking opportunities, tours, and the National Green Building Awards. It is the only national conference targeted to green building for the mainstream residential building industry.
The NAHB Research Center accredits third-party verifiers and is the sole certifying body for the National Green Building Program.
Classwork leading to the designation provides a solid background in green building methods, as well as the tools to reach consumers, from the organization leading the charge to provide market-driven green building solutions to the home building industry.
Find products that the NAHB Research Center has approved as being eligible to contribute points toward certification under the National Green Building Standard™. Such products, when appropriately used, enable builders to earn points toward certification of the building.
Allows designers to score new homes, renovations, and land developments to the National Green Building Standard or the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines. It is the tool to use for National Green Building Certification
The Hotline is available Monday-Friday from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Eastern time to answer questions, address comments, and provide resources to professionals looking to build green.
For more information and access to these services go to www.nahbgreen.org
Media Talking Points
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Links
Green Built Texas - www.greenbuilttexas.org
ENERGY STAR - www.energystar.gov
Austin Energy - www.austinenergy.com
