The NAHB Research Center is
a full-service product commercialization company that strives to make housing more
durable and affordable. Bottom line, we help push new building technologies into
the residential market through our integrated consulting services. We were created
in 1964 as a subsidiary of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and since then have provided clients with an unrivaled
depth of understanding of the housing industry and access to its business leaders.
As a part of NAHBGreen, the
Research Center provides National Green Building Certification for homes, multi-unit
buildings, remodeling/renovation projects, and subdivisions (land development).
Projects that receive National Green Building Certification based on either the
NAHB
Model Green Home Building Guidelines or the National Green Building Standard™ can display the
"Green Certified" mark.
As a related service to product manufacturers, the NAHB Research Center will pre-approve
applicable certification points for products that meet the scoring criteria for
specific practices under the National Green Building Standard - these products can
display the "Green Approved" mark.
If a claim is being made that a home or other residential building is "green," be
sure to look for the NAHB Research Center Green Certified mark. This mark means
that the building has earned National Green Building Certification, and that the
green points claimed for the building have been verified by an NAHB Research Center
accredited
verifier. It is not just a self-certification by the builder.
Buildings that have met either the criteria of the National Green Building Standard™ or the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines can earn the
NAHB Research Center Green Certified mark. Each building earning the mark is issued
a Certificate indicating which green rating system was used and the level of certification
achieved. If this Certificate is not on display in the building, the consumer should
ask the builder to produce it.
The National Green Building Standard is an American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) approved consensus-based standard that defines the criteria for certifying
a building (single-family or multifamily; new construction, addition or renovation)
as "green." The Standard provides scoring criteria for four different levels of
"green" for residential buildings – bronze, silver, gold, or emerald. For a building
to receive
National Green Building Certification to the Standard, it must accumulate
a threshold number of points in each of six categories (lot design, resource efficiency,
energy efficiency, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and owner education),
as well as an overall threshold number of points for each certification level. Points
are accumulated by the implementation of various products, features, and processess
(collectively called "practices" in the National Green Building Standard. There
are a wide variety of such practices, some mandatory, with varying point values.
A builder selects the practices appropriate for the local market, the price point
of the home, and the certification level desired. The NAHB Model Green Home Building
Guidelines preceded the National Green Building Standard and contain similar criteria
based on which a building may earn points toward being certified as a bronze, silver,
or gold level building.
To earn a Certificate and the right to use the NAHB Research Center Green Certified
mark, the building must be verified (inspected) by one of the Research Center’s
accredited
verifiers. The verification report is submitted to the Research Center for
final review before the Certificate is issued and the builder is permitted to use
the NAHB Research Center Green Certified mark. The mark is issued only to specific
buildings. Builders and building companies are not certified as green builders
or green companies. The NAHB Research Center Green Certified mark is
not a representation, warranty, guarantee of building performance, or certification
of code compliance. For details on the builder’s warranty, the buyer should consult
the builder.
Products for which the manufacturer has received a Certificate from the NAHB Research
Center and the right to use the NAHB Research Center Green Approved mark are products
that the Research Center has approved as being eligible to contribute points toward
certification of a building under the National Green Building Standard™. Such products, when appropriately
used, enable builders to earn points toward certification of the building. The NAHB
Research Center Green Approved mark is intended to assist builders, designers, and
specifiers in identifying products that can contribute points toward building certification.
The NAHB Research Center Green Approved mark is also intended to facilitate the
verification of the "green" practice incorporated into the building during field
inspections by providing the accredited verifier with assurance that the product
is eligible for the points claimed by the builder. All buildings for which certification
by the NAHB Research Center is sought are required to be inspected by independent,
third-party,
accredited verifiers to confirm that the building has incorporated sufficient
"green" practices to earn the points claimed for the certification level sought
by the builder.
The National Green Building Standard does not define criteria for certifying products
as "green." A product bearing the NAHB Research Center Green Approved mark is not
certified as being "green." Rather, the product has been approved as eligible for
earning points under the National Green Building Standard toward green certification
of a building if the product is used in a qualifying way (for example, in sufficient
quantity or under certain conditions as noted in the Certificate). Many criteria
in the National Green Building Standard require the use of products with certain
attributes. The Research Center has verified that products bearing the NAHB Research
Center Green Approved mark do indeed have such attributes (for example, a product
might meet the criterion of having recycled content exceeding 25%). Where appropriate,
an independent assessment or accredited test report is required for recognition
of product attributes eligible for points. Products entitled to use the NAHB
Research Center Green Approved mark are approved for points only for specific practices,
as indicated on the Certificate provided to the manufacturer. A copy
of the Certificate should be available from the manufacturer.
Details regarding which products have been approved for specific attributes, and
any additional usage requirements for earning points, can be found by clicking on
the Green Approved Products link in the Green Scoring Tool. The NAHB Research Center
Green Approved mark is not a representation, warranty, guarantee of product performance,
or certification of code compliance. For details of the product warranty, consult
the product manufacturer.