Our offices will be closed for Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26, with most staff off on Friday, November 27. Any verification packets received after noon Tuesday, November 24, may not be processed until Monday, November 30.

Our offices will be closed for Christmas Friday, December 25 and New Year’s Friday, January 1, 2021. Any verification packets received after noon on Wednesday, December 23, will not be processed until the week of January 4, 2021, due to green staff holiday vacations.

In late October, Home Innovation certified the 250,000th NGBS Green Certified home. The project that capped off the first quarter million for the NGBS Green program was Alliance Residential’s Broadstone Junction community in Norcross, Ga.—a multifamily project comprised of two historic renovation and two new buildings, with 290 market-rate apartments in total. The NGBS Green Verifier for the project was Master Verifier Joe Baumann of SK Collaborative in Decatur, Ga. Read more about this program milestone on our website and in a new case study about the project.

In October, we certified the first NGBS Green home in Puerto Rico at the Bronze level. The home is located in Bayamón, a municipality located in the northern coastal valley. It is built on the previous foundation of a home destroyed by Hurricane Maria. Check out the recent blog post about this project and the Tropical Zone issues that have been addressed in the NGBS, which have paved the way for the many certifications we expect to see over the next few years in Puerto Rico.

The 2020 NGBS was published in late April 2020, and Home Innovation immediately opened registration for new projects to be certified to that latest version. There are quite a few “early adopters,” which we believe reflects the extensive benefits that the 2020 NGBS has to offer. As of the the end of October, 375 projects have registered for the 2020 NGBS:

Need a refresher on the 2020 NGBS? View our overview webinar.

Green Builder Media’s annual Green Home of the Year and Sustainability Awards recognize the industry’s most authentic, advanced, beautiful, sustainable projects and the professionals who design and construct them.

Green Builder seeks the best green homes that include sustainable features, innovative design, whole home performance, and integration with the natural environment, as well as the Most Sustainable Community/Development, Green Innovation of the Year, Best Small Footprint Living Project, Sustainable City of the Year and Sustainability Superhero.

Winners will receive coverage in the January/February 2021 issue of Green Builder magazine, on greenbuildermedia.com and on our social media outlets. They will also receive five complimentary copies of the January/February 2021 issue.

To learn more and apply, click here.

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.

CALIFORNIA: The California Tax Credit Allocation Committee has published 2020 Proposed Regulation Changes. Written comments will be accepted on the proposed changes through Nov. 20, 2020. The regulations previously awarded points for NGBS Green, Enterprise Green Communities, Green Point Rated, LEED, Living Building Challenge, and Passive House certifications; however, this section is proposed to be eliminated. NGBS Green Partners are encouraged to submit comments highlighting the benefits of green building certification and third-party verification. For sample comments, contact Cindy.

NEBRASKA: The Nebraska Investment Finance Authority published a 2020/2021 Amended and Restated LIHTC Allocation Plan. The QAP does not include any third-party green building programs.

NEW MEXICO: The Final Board-Approved New Mexico 2021 QAP has been published and is currently awaiting Governor approval. The QAP does not include any third-party green building programs. All newly constructed projects must obtain a HERS score of 55 or better, and all rehabilitation projects must obtain a HERS score of 65 or better.

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.

Check out this newly-certified NGBS Green Certified product.

Vitality is a web platform that integrates various metering and data-producing components for quick and easy reporting, analytics, and control functionality. With Vitality, property managers gain insight into utility and energy data to make cost-savings and sustainable decisions.

Vitality software is certified as a sub-metering system (705.7), energy control device (706.1), and as a post-occupancy verification system (1004.1(2)). Use of Vitality software would also contribute toward the NGBS Green+ SMART HOME badge.

Ecolife™ Stabilized Weather-Resistant Wood is an advanced wood protection system, utilizing a fully integrated wood preservative with built-in stabilizer for maximum weathering protection and enhanced performance. This product has been certified as a termite-resistant product (602.1.6).

Water efficiency ratings and certification provide a new opportunity for builders to distinguish themselves in their markets. NAHB’s What Home Buyers Really Want, 2019 Edition found that more than half of buyers are willing to pay at least $500 for a water efficiency certification.

NAHB’s Water Rating matrix tool helps builders quickly evaluate and compare the features and requirements of several above-code water efficiency and conservation programs. See how the 2020 NGBS and Home Innovation’s Certified WRI compare to other water ratings and labels.

The U.S. EPA WaterSense program has launched a new page with the best available data sources for understanding water use in the United States to help the public recognize the impact of specific choices and technologies. Topics include the embedded energy in water and wastewater, cost of water, and savings from avoided water heating.

Climate change and its effects are accelerating. Consequently, communities are suffering from more frequent and higher intensity climate-related disasters – from hurricanes to wildfires to flooding. With each new event, we have an opportunity to reconsider how we repair and rebuild disaster-damaged homes and how we design and build new homes. Read this post to find out how recent changes in the NGBS are helping to eliminate or reduce the environmental impacts of the homes we build (or rebuild) in areas prone to these types of natural disasters.

Last month, we celebrated another NGBS Green milestone with the certification of our 250,000th NGBS Green Home. When we started the NGBS Green certification program in 2009, our goal was to provide a national, credible, rigorous, and affordable green building certification for the residential construction industry. Until NGBS Green started, residential building certifications lagged significantly behind other building types. We had the audacity to believe that needed to change – and understood the role we could play in helping our entire industry do better. Read Michelle’s blog for her thoughts on NGBS Green’s role in reshaping the green residential market.

Going green isn’t always easy for builders. Even after they select a green building program, there are so many green building practices to choose from for compliance. Then, there are multiple levels of certification. For a new builder, or a high-volume builder with dozens of home models and options, the choices can be overwhelming. Read Michelle’s blog for an introduction to the 2020 NGBS Certified Path for single-family homes, townhouses, and duplexes. This new streamlined yet rigorous certification path is a gamechanger for high-volume builders and those new to green.

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. For more information.

See the full position listing on our website.

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.