Builders and developers now can earn special recognition from Home Innovation Research Labs for NGBS Green Certified homes that go “above and beyond” in certain areas of green practice through NGBS Green+.
A home or building can earn NGBS Green+ badges based on the specific features that are included and verified on site by an accredited NGBS Green Verifier. Available badges include: Net Zero Energy, Resilience, Smart Home, Universal Design, Wellness, and Zero Water.
NGBS Green+ is designed to offer additional recognition in a streamlined fashion, and to help builders specifically spotlight features that are prized in their markets. All homes and multifamily buildings that are already seeking NGBS Green certification under the 2020 version of the ICC-700 National Green Building Standard (NGBS) are eligible to earn NGBS Green+ badges. Criteria for the badges come from the 2020 NGBS, so building practices that contribute to NGBS Green certification may also contribute toward badge achievement.
“NGBS Green certification is a broad designation that demonstrates a home is higher performing across multiple areas, but NGBS Green+ drills down further and helps builders tell the specific story of their homes’ unique features, with the consumer promise that comes from Home Innovation’s third-party verification and review,” says Michelle Foster, Home Innovation vice president, sustainability.
While green certification conveys a lot under the umbrella of “green,” builders participating in the program let Home Innovation’s green team know that other key terms and features were particularly important to marketing their green homes in their markets. NGBS Green+ provides that opportunity.
“NGBS Green+ offers builders another tool to further distinguish themselves from their competition,” says Troy Johns, owner of Urban Northwest Homes in Vancouver, Wash., and chair of the NGBS Green Advisory Group. “This is particularly important for builders and developers offering specialty products in competitive regional markets.”
Builders and developers earning the NGBS Green+ badges for their homes and buildings are eligible to take advantage of new marketing resources that highlight their unique project achievements, including the badge logos, customized NGBS Green certificates, and plaques to display within the buildings.
To learn more about the NGBS Green+ badge program, visit HomeInnovation.com/NGBSGreenPlus. To access the 2020 NGBS to see which features you may be able to spotlight in your next NGBS Green Certified project, it’s available from NAHB’s BuilderBooks, either for purchase or via free PDF download.
