Green Building Guidelines Overview

About the National Green Building Standard

Based on the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines, the National Green Building Standard is now in development. Encompassing single-family construction, remodeling and multifamily construction, the National Green Building Standard is expected to be completed in late spring, 2008.

The standard development is a joint project of NAHB and the International Code Council, which promulgates model building codes. It will go to the American National Standards Institute for approval after the public comment period closes and after consensus committee members have had the opportunity to review the comments and vote on any proposed changes. ANSI requires consensus-based decision-making, opportunity for public comment and other processes to help guarantee a standard more likely to be accepted by all members of the home building industry - as well as those who regulate them.

The NAHB Green Scoring Tool and the National Green Building Certification program are currently based on the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines. When the standard is released, www.nahbgreen.org will expand to include resources, scoring, and certification based on that as well.

About the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines

First published in 2005, the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines were written by a group of builders, researchers, environmental experts, and designers to provide guidance for builders engaged in or interested in green building products and practices for residential design, development, and construction. The Guidelines were also written to serve as a "baseline" so that NAHB members could easily develop local green building programs.

Divided into two parts, the Guidelines cover seven areas, or guiding principles: Lot Design; Resource Efficiency; Energy Efficiency; Water Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality; Homeowner Education; and Global Impact. Each guiding principle consists of a variety of distinct line items that a builder can choose from in creating a green home.

Part One - Checklist
There are three levels of green building available to builders to rate their projects according to the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines – Bronze, Silver, and Gold. The checklist of line items and their point values is contained in Part One. To determine the green building level of a project, a builder navigates through the checklist, assigning point values for each line item completed. At all levels, there is a minimum number of points required for each of the seven guiding principles to ensure that all aspects of green building are addressed to some degree and that there is a balanced, whole-house systems approach. After reaching the point thresholds, an additional 100 points must be achieved by implementing any of the remaining line items. The table below outlines the various green building level thresholds.

Points Required for the Three Different Levels of Green Building

Also included in Part One is verification information describing to the documentation builders must present to a third-party verifier in order to confirm the line item was implemented.

Part Two- User Guide
Recognizing that some of the line items require more than a one- or two-sentence explanation, the User Guide further explains each concept. For each line item, the User Guide contains an entry with the following information:

Intent – Explains the general reasons for including each line item in the guidelines and the impact that implementing the line item will have on the environment.

Information / How to Implement – Contains text, pictures, and formulas to help facilitate the line item's implementation.

Resources – References to books, Websites, articles, and technical guides for further in-depth information related to the line item. Please note that the URLs were active and current at the time the printed document was published in 2005 (and may not be now).

The role of the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines in green building programs

More and more local home building associations (HBAs) have green building certification programs for their members. The NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines were written to support these local programs by providing an easily-customizable framework from which to build those programs if the managers so choose.

For example, the point values for line items in the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines were based on a home built in Climate Zone 4 of DOE's proposed climate zone map. Program managers in other climate zones can start their local program using the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines as the initial framework, and then customize point values for line items most affected by local climate conditions, availability of materials, resources, or rebate programs. As of 2007, there were over sixty green building programs across the country, many administered on cooperation with state and local HBAs, and 24 of which are based on the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines. Use the Find a Local Program feature to determine what green building programs are in operation near you.

The NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines are also the basis for the NAHB National Green Building Program. The NAHB Green Scoring Tool uses the point values as outlined in the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines, and the verification requirements for national program certification were adapted from the printed Guidelines.

Download the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines (3.5MB PDF).