The NAHB Research Center issues National Green Building Certification to all types of residential construction – new or remodeled single-family homes, new or remodeled multifamily buildings, and residential land developments – that meet the criteria of the ICC 700-2008 National Green Building Standard™. Prior to September 2010, the Research Center also offered certification to the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines.* There are four green certification levels for homes available in the Standard – Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Emerald. Land Developments can earn One, Two, Three, or Four Stars.

The National Green Building Standard establishes design and construction practices for residential projects, including:

• New single-family homes -- Includes detached single-family homes, townhomes, duplexes, tri-plexes, and quad-plexes
• New multifamily residential buildings
• The residential portion of mixed-use buildings
• Additions to single-family homes that equal less than 75% of existing square footage
• Renovations of single-family or multifamily buildings
• Renovations plus additions to single-family homes
• Renovations of pre-1980 residential buildings
• Renovations that change the use of non-residential buildings into residential uses. Building conversions can be certified using the Green Building Path but not the Green Remodel Path
• Individual sections or phases of residential or mixed-use developments
• Entire residential or mixed-use land developments and subdivisions

Green certified homes incorporate green practices in six categories:

• Lot & Site Development
• Resource Efficiency
• Energy Efficiency
• Water Efficiency
• Indoor Environmental Quality
• Homeowner Education

Current Incentives Available for NGBS Green Certified Projects

Since the National Green Building Standard was approved by ANSI in early 2009, municipalities and government officials have consistently deemed it to be on par or superior to other residential green rating systems. This document provides a current summary of all known incentives across the country that specifically recognize certification to the National Green Building Standard.

Comparing Green Home Building Rating Systems

The topic of equivalency often arises in discussions about green rating systems. While there are many elements of performance in green rating systems, Multifamily Energy Performance Comparison focuses on energy performance of multifamily new construction built to the National Green Building Standard ICC700-2008 (NGBS) and the LEED 2009 for New Construction and Major Renovation Rating System (LEED-NC).

Green Home Building Rating Systems - A Sample Comparison evaluates the costs and technical requirements of bringing two sample code-compliant production houses in different climate zones (Dallas & Washington, DC) into compliance at one point in time (January 2008) with three different green building rating systems: NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines, the National Green Building Standard version 2, and LEED for Homes.

AIA Cincinnati has also published a report comparing LEED for Homes and the National Green Building Standard. While the City of Cincinnati offers tax incentives for new and renovated homes certified to LEED, the local HBA has requested that the Standard be adopted for the same incentives. This report reviews both residential green building rating systems to determine if they are equivalent in performance and rigor of proof.

The Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago released a report evaluating the additional costs of elevating three sample code-compliant, urban, residential building types in the City of Chicago into compliance with Chicago Green Homes Program (CGH), National Green Building Standard (NGBS), and LEED for Homes (LEED-H).

* The NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines were created in 2006 and served as the starting point for the Consensus Committee that created the ICC 700-2008 National Green Building Standard. The NAHB Research Center began certifying single-family new homes to the Guidelines in January 2008. Once the Standard was approved by ANSI in January 2009, the Research Center offered both rating systems as options for certification, with only the Standard providing options for multifamily, remodeled, and development projects in addition to single-family new construction. The Guidelines were officially phased out as an option for National Green Building Certification in September 2010, and most references to the Guidelines were removed from this website to minimize confusion. However, some builders’ projects were grandfathered into continued certification to the Guidelines through the end of 2011. All certificates issued by the NAHB Research clearly state if a home was certified to the Guidelines or the Standard – homebuyers should check with their builder as to which rating system will be used for certification of their new home. If you are interested in receiving a copy of the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines, please contact us.