Posts Tagged ‘home improvements’

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NAHB Green

Monday, December 21st, 2009

On February 14, 2008, the National Association of Home Builders launched the NAHB National Green Building Program commonly referred to as “NAHB Green.” The program is a comprehensive set of educational resources; advocacy tools, rating systems, and access to a National Green Building Certification service that help home builders anywhere build green homes, and homebuyers at all price points buy them.

Throughout the country, green home building has become more common and more mainstream in recent years. The number of home builders using green building technologies and techniques has been steadily increasing as they see its market advantages. While building green isn’t for everyone, the need to make sure that green building programs remain voluntary, market driven, and based on sound technical information is a key issue for NAHB. In fact, NAHB Green is the result of years of builders’ and local associations’ efforts throughout the NAHB federation. These efforts have led to the construction of thousands of green homes all over the country, as well as the development of dozens of local green building programs coordinated by or associated with state and local home builder associations.

Local programs are a home builder’s primary source for information, education, and networking on all topics-and green building techniques are no different. Green home building, however, also has led to the development of additional needs, like establishing a locally credible green rating criteria and certifying homes to those criteria. Working these services into a local program, and bringing in education and networking activities can be tremendous opportunities for an association to expand its scope and revenue.

This tool kit is designed for state and local associations seeking resources for their members; associations that are interested in starting local programs; and existing programs that want to take advantage of national resources. In all cases, there are instructions here about affiliating with NAHB Green, as well as descriptions of various resources that will help as you get a local program underway.

Read More: http://www.nchba.org/images/stories/councils/hba_green_toolkit_aug08.pdf

Source: www.nchba.org

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Rocky Mountain Institute releases Green Footstep

Monday, December 21st, 2009

Rocky Mountain Institute has unveiled Green Footstep, a free online carbon calculator for reducing carbon emissions in building construction and retrofit projects. Other online carbon calculators don’t address multiple building emissions over the building lifetime, but the operating costs you are saving over time. Green Footstep shows you the saved carbon.

Green Footstep also shows designers how to comply with specific design goals such as LEED’s energy credits and the 2030 Challenge, the organization that has challenged designers to make all new buildings carbon neutral by 2030. Edward Mazria, founder and executive director of Architecture 2030, says, “Rocky Mountain Institute’s Green Footstep is an extremely valuable goal-setting and evaluation tool that will help building designers assess a project’s carbon emission impacts with regard to site, construction and operations. Because the 2030 Challenge is integrated into the program, this tool can also help designers in their efforts to meet or exceed the 2030 Challenge targets.”

Michael Bendewald, an analyst with RMI who developed the online version, called Green Footstep a “designer’s tool” that designers can use to make specific design decisions that reduce carbon emissions on residential and commercial new and retrofit building construction projects, from pre-design through occupancy.

It’s also an educational tool that helps users understand a building’s life cycle carbon footprint. “Since we all have bank accounts, allow me to use an accounting metaphor to explain Green Footstep’s way of showing a project’s carbon emissions,” Bendewald explains. “The native-state carbon storage of a site, including such things as standing timber and other vegetation that existed before development, is the amount of carbon the owner of the facility ‘owns.’ Any carbon emissions send the owner into a ‘carbon debt.’ In order for a project to be ‘carbon neutral,’ this debt must be paid off and the original amount of carbon – equal in magnitude to the native-state carbon storage – must be restored. Green Footstep allows designers to adjust design targets, such as building energy use intensity and incorporating more renewables that will get the building out of the carbon debt edging the building closer to carbon neutrality.”

Green Footstep’s web site provides case studies so users can explore how Green Footstep has allowed past projects to reach their carbon reduction goals. Users can also create a login that allows them to save and reload their own projects as they work on them.

Source: www.oikos.com

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NAHB Connects Builders with New Financing Sources at the 2010 International Builders’ Show®

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Wall Street and Main Street will come together at the International Builders’ Show® (IBS) this January, thanks to an exciting new offering called the Partnership Pavilion that is being developed by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

“The severe lack of available credit for acquisition, development and construction (AD&C) financing constitutes a significant threat to thousands of home building and development companies, as well as to the immediate and long-term future of the housing industry,” said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson, a home builder from Tulsa, Okla. “Given the current situation, an innovative approach was called for to help our members find new sources of debt and equity financing while reinvigorating the traditional sources of housing credit, and that is the aim of the Partnership Pavilion.

“NAHB members build roughly 80 percent of all new housing in this country every year, and about 95 percent of them are the key decision-makers within their business – including presidents, CEOs, owners and managing partners,” Robson continued. “Many of them are already planning to travel to the International Builders’ Show (IBS), which is the largest and best-attended annual building industry tradeshow in this country. It just makes sense to provide a confidential setting within that venue for such professionals to meet one-on-one with potential new backers for their projects.”

As envisioned, the pavilion will be a centrally located forum with private office space and concierge services at the International Builders’ Show, which takes place Jan. 19-22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Here, NAHB members will have the opportunity to discuss their funding needs with representatives of a variety of capital sources and financing advisors.

Builders and developers who are interested in participating in the Partnership Pavilion will need to qualify in advance of the show by providing specific information on their proposed projects via an online portal soon to be available on NAHB’s Web site. At that time, potential funding sources will review the information, and those who are interested in further exploring a given deal will be able to set up a meeting at the pavilion with the designated applicant. Additional information and a sign-up form for financing and investment companies who wish to participate are available at: www.nahb.org/partnership.

“At a time when credit for housing production is extremely difficult to come by, we hope that the Partnership Pavilion will provide a new channel through which home builders, developers and potential investors can communicate and conduct business while attending our industry’s most important trade show of the year,” said Robson.

Source: www.nahb.org

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