See summaries of residential water labeling programs:

The County offers a substantial two-tiered, four-year property tax credit program for newly constructed green buildings. First, an energy reduction tax credit allows projects demonstrating a minimum of 10% performance above existing code, based on modeling, to be eligible for an initial property tax credit of 5-100%, depending on energy performance. Then, projects that are compliant with the energy reduction requirement are then eligible for a building sustainability tax credit. Buildings achieving Gold- or Emerald-level NGBS Green certification can earn an additional 25% or 75% tax credit, respectively. For example, a project with energy intensity 24% better than code that also achieves NGBS Green certification at the Emerald level would receive a 99% total property tax credit annually for the next four years. The County did not place a cap on the new buildings credit, meaning that any number of new construction projects can qualify for and receive tax credits.

The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act will expand and strengthen the Low Income Tax Credit (LIHTC/Housing Credit) resources available to support the development and preservation of affordable rental housing nationwide.

This Bill increase the amount of LIHTC available by 50% over two years and enable the LIHTC program to better serve hard-to-reach communities. One component of the bill addresses the alignment of housing credits with energy efficient home and building tax credits to make it easier for developers to build affordable housing and take advantage of the tax credits.

For more information, visit https://www.chfainfo.com/news/Documents/AHCIA-Detailed-Bill-Summary-April-2021.pdf. We will continue to track this bill and share relevant information with NGBS Green Partners.

The following states have or will revise their Qualified Allocation Plans (QAP) for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program (LIHTC). The summaries included indicate if NGBS Green certification is incentivized and provide information on how to submit comments or stay informed. If you know of current QAP activity in your state or locale that is not listed here or included in our online QAP Round-Up, please contact us.

Alabama: The Alabama Housing Finance Authority published a draft 2022 QAP. Written comments can be submitted using the 2022 Plan Comment Form until 5:00 p.m. EDT on August 27th. The draft QAP does not include any third-party energy efficiency or green building programs. Partners are encouraged to advocate for third-party energy efficiency or green building certification programs, such as NGBS Green.

Arizona: Arizona Housing is accepting comments to inform the 2022 QAP. Written comments can be sent to [email protected] through August 23rd. In 2018, Arizona Housing eliminated all green building from their QAP. Partners are encouraged to advocate for third-party energy efficiency or green building certification programs, such as NGBS Green.

Illinois: The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) published a draft 2022-2023 QAP. Written comments will be accepted at [email protected] until 5PM CDT on July 30th. The draft QAP offers up to 10 points for green building certification. The following options are included:

An additional 3 points can be earned when a net zero energy program is achieved in conjunction with the green building certification. The options are:

We will request that IHDA accept NGBS Green certification at either the Gold or Emerald levels, on par with LEED v4.1. We will also request that IHDA recognize the NGBS Green+ NET ZERO ENERGY certification as an option under the net zero section. Contact Cindy if you would like to see our comment letter or get involved.

Ohio: The Ohio Housing Finance Agency seeks input for revisions to Design and Architectural Standards and Multifamily Underwriting Standards. Written comments can be sent to [email protected] through August 13th. The Design and Architectural Standards identify the accepted energy efficiency and green building certifications. These include NGBS Green; ENERGY STAR Certified Homes, Multifamily High Rise, and Multifamily New Construction; Enterprise Green Communities; and LEED.

Oklahoma: The Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency published a first draft 2022 QAP. An in-person public hearing is schedule for August 11th at 10AM CDT at the Holiday Inn Oklahoma City North, 6200 N. Robinson, Oklahoma City, OK. Written comments will be accepted until 12 noon CDT on July 16, 2021, via their online form (instructions included here). A final draft QAP will be posted on or about August 27th. The draft QAP includes 18 points for prescriptive energy efficiency and green building measures; no third-party green building programs are referenced. Partners are encouraged to advocate for third-party energy efficiency or green building certification programs, such as NGBS Green.

In each issue of Insider Update, Home Innovation profiles products that can help builders achieve points toward NGBS Green Certification. To browse all NGBS Green Certified products, visit the online directory.

CertainTeed SoftTouch™ Duct Wrap Insulation offers outstanding thermal properties that reduce unwanted heat loss or gain and condensation during system operation. SoftTouch duct wrap is GREENGUARD® Certified as low emitting. This product has been NGBS Green Certified for recycled content (604.1), product declaration (611.2), and manufacturer’s environmental management system (612.1).

Blue Green Alliance reviewed more than 20 residential building certifications to develop a wide ranging list and mapping of the various healthy building practices that are mandated or incentivized by the certification programs. View their mapping to understand how NGBS requirements compare to other green and healthy building rating systems, including LEED, Fitwel, Living Building Challenge, PHIUS, and WELL. Also be sure to check out Home Innovation’s Select NGBS Green Certifications for Health and Well-Being 1-pager for information on how NGBS Green stands apart from other healthy building programs.

In case you missed it earlier this month, NAHB still has the virtual tour of this NGBS Green Certified home by Urban NW available to view on demand. The concepts of health, efficient energy use, and aging in place are now passion points for many buyers. Built with indoor health in mind as well as the flexibility to age gracefully without remodeling, July’s featured home blends the latest in modern living designs with contemporary and classic NW architectural styles. Located in the Urban Downs community of Ridgefield, Wash., the Gladstone earned NGBS Green certification at the highest Emerald certification level.

If you missed the original airing of this tour, or want to look back at any of the previous ones, now’s a great time as NAHB is taking a summer hiatus in August – visit the online Virtual Green Homes Tour Library.

Recently, we’ve been posting more and more case studies on some unique and exemplary NGBS Green Certified projects. If you haven’t had a chance to check them out yet, be sure to go to our Resources page – there are several there already and we’re adding more each week. While on the page, be sure to check out the wide range of guidance documents, comparisons, and other helpful resources we’ve created for our NGBS Green Partners, including:

You can also find LOTS of great resources by visiting the following pages -- #BookmarkWorthy:

Home Innovation Research Labs is looking for an inspired building scientist/building construction engineer to join our research team responsible for programmatic efforts in the fields of energy efficiency, energy modeling, technology innovation, and green building in residential construction.

See the full position listing on our website.

Home Innovation Research Labs is seeking a recent engineering graduate to join our Building Science Division. This person will be responsible for project work in the areas of energy efficiency, disaster resistance, cost evaluation, technology innovation, and green building in residential construction.

See the full position listing on our website.

Home Innovation Research Labs, an accredited third-party test lab, is looking for a motivated Engineer who wants to be on the leading edge of building product testing and certification.

Home Innovation Research Labs is seeking a well-organized self-starter to work in our materials and structures lab. This is a technical hands-on position that requires physical labor to set-up and perform tests on a variety of building products and components.

Take a 1 minute survey and let us know what you think of our delivery of NGBS Green certification and our customer service.

As we strive to keep up with events of interest around the country, we welcome your input. If you know of a program that may be of interest to our NGBS Green program partners, please let us know. And, if you or a client are interested in scheduling virtual (or, eventually, live) training on the 2020 NGBS, contact us – we have an AIA and ICC-approved program that we’d be happy to deliver.

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