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NAHB Green: National Green Building
Standard
The NAHB
Green Building Program is a voluntary
partnership of local home builders, building
industry supporters, and sponsors committed to
creating awareness and interest in the
construction of higher-performance, lower-impact
residential homes. The program has regionally
specific green building construction protocols
that are deemed essential in order for a home to
be recognized by the program. Homes built to
these protocols conform to higher standards of
site management and waste recycling, water
efficiency, indoor air quality, energy
efficiency, materials, and homeowner education,
which are detailed below.
Site Management & Waste
Reduction
These homes incorporate efficient
site management and waste reduction practices on
the jobsite in order to help reduce the
environmental impact of the home while under
construction. These practices and principles
include tree preservation and protection,
recycling measures and storm water control
systems designed for the site.
Water Efficiency
Preserving
water resources is important to all Waco
residents, and NAHB Green Build homes are
designed to conserve water both indoors and out.
In a cooperative program with LCRA’s Water IQ,
more efficient water delivery systems indoors
combined with drought-tolerant landscaping
choices and smart irrigation systems outdoors
help extend current water resources.
Buyers should discuss other ‘green built’
offerings with their builder such as rainwater
catchment and additional water saving appliances
to maximize water savings.
Indoor Air
Quality
Following energy efficiency,
consumers often cite the home’s indoor air
quality as the most important feature of their
home. Sensitivities to chemicals that can be
emitted from construction and home furnishing
materials are becoming more common and NAHB
Green Build homes aim to mitigate the effects of
potential contaminants. Through proper design,
ventilation and filtering the source of
contaminates can be controlled, diluted and/or
captured.
Energy
Efficiency
Energy consumption is of paramount
concern to today’s homebuyers due to financial
and far-reaching environmental impacts. In
addition, each home consumes energy year after
year, meaning that the environmental impacts
associated with that use accrue over time.
Therefore, energy conservation is an integral
part of all NAHB Green Build homes. These
homes are certified to meet the EPA’s ENERGY
STAR performance standard. With the help of
independent Home Energy Raters, local NAHB Green
Builders choose the most appropriate
energy-saving features for their homes in order
to obtain ENERGY STAR certification. Raters
conduct onsite testing and inspections to verify
the energy efficiency measures, as well as
insulation and air tightness. Upon completion of
the verification process, the home obtains
ENERGY STAR certification and is scored on the
HERS (Home Energy Rating Systems) Index.
The HERS Index is a scoring system established
by the Residential Energy Services Network
(RESNET) in which a home built to basic code
specifications scores a HERS Index of 100. The
lower a home’s HERS Index, the more energy
efficient it is in comparison to the Reference
Home. Each 1-point decrease in the HERS Index
roughly corresponds to a 1% reduction in energy
consumption compared to the Reference
Home. Realized efficiencies are
working toward realized incentives programs for
builders and homeowners, by way of cooperative
programs with electrical providers like PEC and
CTEC.
Material Usage
NAHB Green
Build homes start with the consideration of the
environment at the design phase, when material
selection occurs. Locally, these homes use
environmentally friendly engineered lumber
products. These products help optimize lumber
resources since 50% or more of the log is
converted into structural lumber. In
addition, these homes are built with
sustainability in mind. Drainage considerations,
weatherization techniques and durable cladding
materials help minimize the effects of our harsh
climate.
Homeowner
Education
A
builder can do only so much when it comes to how
the home will perform. Homeowners play a big
role in their home’s performance and, therefore,
should take the utmost care to operate their
NAHB Green Build home as it was intended.
Ongoing and timely preventative maintenance
helps ensure a healthy, resource-efficient home
for years to come.
Membership
in NAHB Green Building Program is open to both
Builder and Associate members of the Heart of
Texas Builders Association. Through special
events and media outreach, the program endeavors
to make area homebuyers more aware of its green
building program and its participants
The NAHB
Green Building Program is your guarantee of an
authentically green home that’s built the way
you want.
Cost-effective, flexible and
sensible. Make your homes more resource and
energy efficient with NAHB Green.
Through the National Green
Building Program, the National Association of
Home Builders is helping its members move the
practice of green building into the mainstream.
Energy efficiency, water and resource
conservation, sustainable or recycled products,
and indoor air quality are increasingly
incorporated into the everyday process of home
building. Go to http://www.nahbgreen.org/
and check out the full list of resources and
tools to facilitate green building as well as
the benefits of doing so.
NAHB
Model Green Home Building Guidelines.
Published in 2005, the voluntary Guidelines
cover seven areas, including lot preparation and
design, resource efficiency, energy efficiency,
water efficiency and conservation, occupancy
comfort and indoor environmental quality, and
operation, maintenance and homeowner education.
These Guidelines are the basis for the Green
Scoring Tool, but were also written for local
organizations to use as a foundation for their
own Green Building program, for easy
customization to reflect local geographic and
climate conditions. Download a copy of the NAHB Model
Green Building Guidelines (3.5MB PDF).
http://www.nahbgreen.org/,
the official National Green Building Program
website. Learn
more about the resources and tools offered
through this site.
The
NAHB National Green Building Program Hotline at
877-NAHB-GRN (877-624-2476). The Hotline is
available from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Eastern time to
answer questions, address comments, and provide
resources to professionals looking to build
green.
A national
certification program that enables builders
across the country to assure their homes are
green. |