The National Association of Home Builders designed the National Green Building Standard as an alternative to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system.
The NAHB NGBS has been formally approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and was developed in partnership with the International Code Council (ICC) to conform with the international residential building code. It provides a framework for safe and sustainable building practices in all housing types and includes provisions for both new construction and remodeled or rehabilitated residential structures.
The standards require participating builders to earn a minimum number of points in areas such as:
- Land conservation and environmental mitigation
- Site design, remediation, and lot orientation
- Resource efficiency (e.g., use of recycled and locally-available materials)
- Rainwater collection
- Construction of smaller homes to conserve resources
- Energy performance starting at Energy Star
- Use of low-VOC materials and detached garages or carports to improve indoor air quality
- Homeowner education on proper maintenance and operation to maintain green benefits throughout the life cycle of a home
There is a fee to join the program, plus a fee to an accredited rater. For more information, go to buildgreennh.com.