NAHB Releases Draft Green Building Standard for Public Comment

The standard is being developed by the NAHB in conjunction with the International Code Council, under the auspices of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

It is based on the NAHB’s Model Green Home Building Guidelines, which currently form the basis of more than 20 voluntary city and state green building programs nationwide. Along with other home building association-related initiatives like Built Green Colorado and Earthcraft in Atlanta, these programs are in turn responsible for the development of close to 100,000 green homes, each of which responds to its local geography, climate and customer preferences.

“Ensuring that the standard can be adapted regionally is a major challenge,” said Ray Tonjes, president of Ray Tonjes Builder, Inc., chair of the NAHB green building subcommittee, and chair of GBI. “But we believe that its success lies in making sure that builders retain the flexibility to adapt to their own unique circumstances.”

The Green Building Standard is being developed through a formal, consensus-based process, by a technical committee that includes a broad spectrum of builders, code and government officials, energy experts, suppliers and industry consultants.

To review the draft and submit a comment, please visit the NAHB Research Center Web site. Comments will be accepted until September 24, 2007.