Released at the 2010 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas last month, the Commentary provides valuable insight to the intention and implementation of the practices and provisions found in the standard.  Developed with the input of members of the ICC 700-2008 Consensus Committee who developed the standard, the Commentary is a useful resource for any designer or builder using the ICC 700-2008 as a rating system for developing or renovating residential properties of all types, to reduce their relative environmental impact.

The National Green Building Standard is a scoring tool and certification protocol that assures projects have met stringent benchmarks in energy, water and resource efficiency, indoor environmental quality and lot and site design. It is the first such system to be approved by the American National Standards Institute. The standard covers single-family homes, apartments and condos, residential land development and home remodeling projects, and is administered by the NAHB Research Center, which also accredits local verifiers around the country.

“This new resource allows readers to better navigate the National Green Building Standard,” said Bob Jones, NAHB Chairman and a home builder from Bloomfield Hills, Mich. “Each chapter breaks down the different components contained in the standard, allowing builders and remodelers to learn the best way to build green in their own communities.”

www.nahb.org

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The designation requires 24 hours of NAHB-approved training, and additional continuing education every three years. Subjects covered in training discuss how green homes provide buyers with lower energy costs and higher value, and will include strategies for incorporating green-building principles into homes without driving up the cost of construction.

The designation curriculum requires completion of the Green Building for Building Professionals two-day course and either the Business Management for Building Professionals one-day course or having another current NAHB professional designation. Class schedules and course descriptions are available from NAHB.

Upon successful completion of course work, submission of a graduation application and signed Code of Ethics is required to graduate. The CGP designation recognizes a high degree of professional competence, and is awarded to individuals only.

Courses are offered at local home builders association and at NAHB national events. For a complete list of course offering and dates, visit www.nahb.org/courses.

For more information about the Certified Green Professional designation, visit www.nahb.org/cgpinfo or call the NAHB at 800-368-5242.

Source: www.nahbgreen.org

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The information also helps him keep up with increasingly stringent energy codes.

Ferrier, who has been building energy-efficient homes since 1982 and has won numerous EnergyValue Housing Awards (EVHA) and National Green Building Awards, said he continually searches myriad sources for new information that he can use to develop new ideas and hone his company’s building techniques in order to maintain an edge over his competition.

Because “green building information is exploding,” Ferrier said, sifting through all the information available online to find those really valuable nuggets can be challenging.

One source of information that Ferrier finds particularly useful is the online NAHB Green Scoring Tool of the National Green Building Program. “When we go through the scoring process step by step, I discover details that I never thought of before, and some are very easy to implement,” Ferrier said

He said he also finds the  EnergyValue Housing Award program beneficial, not only because of the market differentiation it provides program winners, but because it enables him to network and share advances in green building with other EVHA builders.

Heather Ferrier, general manager at Ferrier Custom Homes, said the EVHA application process is also an effective learning tool. “It’s a great process to go through to ensure that every level of energy-efficiency is installed and performing as we specified,” she said. “The award’s documentation process is lengthy, but it provides benchmarks to help guide our process.”

Don Ferrier also finds conferences on green building and energy-efficiency great sources of information. While he admits that he serves as a presenter and expert speaker at many of the conferences, he attends as many sessions of interest as he can. “There is always something to learn when you see what others are doing,” he said.

Another information source that Ferrier finds valuable is the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America program.

Some ideas Ferrier garnered from the program are simple – such as making his trade contractors responsible for flashing and sealing any building envelope penetrations that they make. Until implementing the suggestion from Building America, the builder would do the repair work needed.

“Now, if a plumber puts a hose bib through a wall or an electrician runs power to an air conditioning compressor, we supply the details and they are responsible for the work,” Ferrier said.

One other source of information Ferrier finds valuable is his clients, who come to him with ideas and suggestions for their homes. He doesn’t dismiss a customer’s idea outright; he’d rather “look at it and see if it makes sense.” To compensate for the exploratory time, however, Ferrier charges for estimates and offers clients design services for an hourly fee.

Source: www.nahb.org

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Radon is another gas. It can come into homes from the ground below them. You cannot see, taste, or smell radon. Radon is found all over the United States. Radon can cause lung cancer. In fact, it is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. If you smoke and your home has high levels of radon, your risk of lung cancer is especially high.

Combustion appliances are one source of possible air pollution

Sometimes indoor air pollution comes from what people do in their home.

Tobacco smoking causes cancer and other major health problems. It’s unsafe for children to be around smokers. Second-hand or environmental tobacco smoke can raise children’s risk of ear infections and breathing problems. It can trigger asthma attacks too.

Many families have pets. However, furry pets cause problems for some people. Pets can make asthma and allergies act up, especially if you keep them in sleeping areas.

Hobbies and home projects sometimes involves sanding, painting, welding, or using solvent chemicals, like varnish or paint strippers. (A solvent is a chemical that can dissolve something else. Solvents are usually liquid.) Home projects can pollute the air with dust or harmful chemicals.

Sometimes indoor air pollution comes from what people have in their homes.

Some household products, especially those with solvents, can pollute the air if you don’t use them the right way.

New furniture, carpets, and building products may give off chemicals that were used in the making. Some of these chemicals can harm people, especially children.

If your home was built before 1978, the paint may have lead in it. Lead is very dangerous for young children.

There are simple, but important steps you can take to find our what is causing poor air quality. The questions below can help you find problems around your home. This section will give you ideas of what to do. Look at the chapters on asthma and allergies, mold, carbon monoxide to learn more about indoor air problems. Remember, making your home a safer, healthier place to live may mean taking several steps.

Source: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov

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Ralph Pagnucco Jr., a builder and remodeler in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, is the 1,500th designee, announced Ray Tonjes, chair of the National Association of Home Builders Green Building Subcommittee.

The CGP designation recognizes builders, remodelers and other industry professionals who understand how to incorporate green building principles into homes and provide green-building expertise for consumers.

The designation is part of the NAHB National Green Building Program, which also includes a green home verification and certification service provided through the NAHB Research Center. So far, 69 homes have received National Green Building Certification with another 160 awaiting inspection.

To qualify for the individual designation, applicants must complete 24 hours of green building and business management instruction, have two years’ industry experience, commit to continuing education requirements and sign the CGP code of ethics.

“The CGP designation helps assure home buyers that their builder or remodeler can help them negotiate the path to a green-built home – as green as the home buyer wants it to be,” Tonjes said. Designers, bankers, home sales agents and other industry professionals can also bring additional value to their clients with the CGP designation, he added.

Pagnucco said the classes he took to complete the CGP designation have helped him become a better informed green builder – and stand out from the competition. He’s incorporating more green remodeling practices into his business, including upgraded insulation, energy-efficient windows and doors, and conducting cost analyses on heating and cooling equipment to help his customers determine how much money they may save with a more energy-efficient unit.

Next week, Pagnucco’s company will submit its first new single-family home for green certification from GreenBuilt Michigan, an affiliate of the NAHB National Green Building Program. All of the company’s homes will be green certified from now on, Pagnucco said.

 ”We’re trying to be the best green builders we can be,” he said.

Source: www.nahb.org

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Earning the CGP demonstrates to clients and peers your commitment to the best and latest in green building practices and techniques. More than 4,100 people have earned the CGP designation to date.

Source: http://www.nchba.org/

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Source: http://www.nchba.org/

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“Although we are seeing significant interest in green building, cost effectiveness is clearly a key concern among home buyers,” said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson, a home builder and developer in Tulsa, Okla. “Builders said that among buyers who are willing to pay more for green features, more than half — 57 percent — are unlikely to pay more than an additional two percent.”

The August survey coincides with news that the NAHB National Green Building Program continues to grow. More than 400 homes, developments and remodeling projects have been certified by the NAHB Research Center, which administers the program and trains and accredits local project verifiers. Of those projects, 43 have been certified to the National Green Building Standard, approved earlier this year by the American National Standards Institute.

Preferences for specific green building techniques are decidedly regional, with builders in the West reporting much more interest in water efficiency than builders in other areas. Interest in homes built with recycled materials is particularly high in the Northeast (the region where the fewest new homes are built) and low in the South (the region with the highest number of housing starts).

Only 11 percent of builders nationwide indicated that their customers ask about environmentally friendly features, according to the survey. “Fortunately, our members are increasingly taking the initiative to educate the home-buying public about the benefits of green construction,” Robson said.

Overall, energy efficiency continues to be the primary factor driving the green building movement, squaring with previous NAHB surveys of home builders when asked about buyer preferences.  “More and more, our members are able to convince their clients of the benefits of a home built with efficiency and sustainability in mind,” Robson said.

“However, when buyers prepare to sign on the dotted line, cost-effectiveness clearly drives their decisions.  We need to make sure that our energy policies reflect that reality so that builders have the flexibility to use lot and site design, high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment and other features to achieve the desired results at the right price,” he continued.

“Whenever Congress considers how to encourage more energy-efficient construction, it must keep affordability in mind – and look for ways to incentivize these changes not only in new homes, but even more importantly in the nation’s much more substantial and inefficient existing housing stock,” Robson said.

Source: http://www.nahb.org/

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This video will empower you with the information necessary to buy or remodel green, and switch your home and your life into green gear. By investing in durable, practical, eco-friendly products and practices we can change our world for the better.

Chapters:

Chapter 1- Deep Cleansing Breath (air quality) 

Chapter 2 – Get Energized (energy-efficiency) 

Chapter 3- Drop in the Bucket (water efficiency) 

Chapter 4- Choose This Not That (building materials and appliances) 

Chapter 5- Getting Green Backs 

For non-NAHB members interested in purchasing a copy of these videos, please contact productiongroup@nahb.com.   Each DVD costs $25 plus shipping and handling.  On-line web versions available upon request. Volume discounts available.

Source: NHBA/Green Builders Info

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The Internal Revenue Code section 25C tax credit for existing homes, which had expired at the end of 2007, was reinstated as part of the economic rescue package passed by the Bush Administration last fall. Homeowners could be rewarded for installing energy-efficient windows, doors, roofing and insulation as well as furnaces, air conditioners and heat pumps.

But remodelers found that the terms of the 25C credit — equal to only 10 percent of the cost of each product and with a lifetime cap of $500 — weren’t strong enough to push enough home owners off the fence and into action.

Now, the credit rate and lifetime cap have been tripled – to 30 percent and $1,500, respectively – the list of eligible improvements expanded, and the deadline for applying has been extended through the end of 2010. Congressional estimates indicate that the new rules for the tax incentive will increase aggregate remodeling activity by more than $6 billion.

“The new tax credit also aligns with industry research indicating that even the most aggressive efficiency goals for new homes won’t make a dent in overall energy consumption. Instead, remodeling and retrofitting the nation’s older homes is by far the more efficient solution,” said NAHB Remodelers Chairman Greg Miedema, CGR, CGB, CAPS, a remodeler from Tucson, Ariz.

 ”These new tax credits are another way that home building industry can combat the potential effects of global climate change by encouraging home owners to make energy-efficient improvements to their homes,” said Miedema.

A 2008 California study revealed that 70 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions related to single-family envelope energy consumption can be attributed to homes built before 1983.

The bottom line: Retrofitting existing homes with energy-efficient features is four to eight times more carbon- and cost-efficient than adding further energy-efficiency requirements to new housing, the study showed.

TAX CREDIT HOW-TO

Details on qualifying improvements will soon be available at the IRS Web site (http://www.irs.gov). It is expected that homeowners will need to complete Form 5695 (Residential Energy Credits) and submit as part of their 2009 income tax returns to claim the credit. Further, homeowners should retain for their own records information that includes:

Name and address of the manufacturer

Identification of the component

Make, model or other appropriate identifiers

Statement that the component meets the 25C standards

Climate zones for which the criteria are satisfied

Additional information for storm windows, if applicable

A declaration that the certification statement is true

For more information about remodeling, visit www.nahb.org/remodel.

ABOUT NAHB REMODELERS: NAHB Remodelers is America’s home for professional remodelers, representing more than 20,000 remodeling industry members of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Founded in 1982, the organization provides information, education and designation programs to improve the business and construction expertise of its members and to enhance the professional image of the industry.  Its membership incorporates 145 local councils in 43 states. Learn more about remodeling at www.nahb.org/remodel.

Source: NHBA/Green Builders Info

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