The changing climate is forcing policymakers and the development community throughout Arizona to rethink current patterns of development to ensure that water is available long-term. Achievement of a water efficiency rating or certification positions local builders to meet local regulations and earn financial incentives. | |
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Combining rich detail of our data with John Burns Research and Consulting’s prowess in building products demand forecasting is a powerful combination of data tools to keep you a step ahead of competitors. | |
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NGBS Green program updates | |
AXIS Client Portal Maintenance | |
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The AXIS client portal for the NGBS Green program will be off-line over the Labor Day weekend to implement a suite of new functionality including the One Client Solution below. AXIS will be unavailable from Friday, September 1st at 5pm ET until 7am ET on Tuesday, September 5th. Please plan accordingly.
If you have buildings that will need an NGBS Green certification the last week of August or the first week of September please communicate that ASAP to your Verifier so they can ensure the final reports and documentation get uploaded so they can be processed before AXIS is shut down.
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AXIS Client Consolidation | |
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When we designed the original green database, we incorrectly believed that clients would neatly fit into categories for Builder, Developer, General Contractor, etc. That turned out to be incorrect. As a result, over the years there has been much unnecessary duplication of organizations in AXIS and that has created unnecessary complexity and confusion.
Going forward, Home Innovation will simply ask Verifiers to register a project with ONE client identified. The role of the organization in the construction/renovation process doesn’t matter so long as they can satisfy three requirements:
- Sign the Client Agreement and obviously be able to uphold the agreement’s requirements
- Provide us with a certificate of insurance that meets our requirements
- Pay the certification fee. [Verifiers will occasionally pay the certification fee – that is 100% fine.]
While not required, we will encourage Verifiers to include information about other organizations involved so we’re aware of the other members of the project team.
If you have questions or concerns about the One Client Solution, please contact Michelle.
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Calling All Industry Professionals! | |
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Earn your NGBS Green PRO professional designation to validate your expertise in green design, construction, and building certification.
Training for the designation – consisting of four self-paced modules, each with its own mastery check – is live and available 24/7.
AIA Credit: 1LU Elective per module; 4 LU Electives for entire course
ICC Credit: 0.1 CEU for each module; 0.4 CEU for entire course
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Are you a student interested in green building?
Register with your ".edu" email address and use the discount code NGBSStudentEDU to reduce the training fee to $100.
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green certified product spotlight | |
Panasonic Energy Recovery Ventilator
Intelli-Balance 100, FV-10VEC1, FV10VE1
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Panasonic Intelli-Balance ERVs are designed to run continuously at a low CFM setting to exhaust stale air, moisture, and indoor pollutants and bring in clean, tempered air from outside. Intelli-Balance ERVs include MERV 8 filters and boost function. Homeowners and tenants will enjoy a healthier and cleaner home, while builders and installers comply with the industry’s most stringent codes, including NGBS Green.
Panasonic Intelli-Balance ERVs are certified to meet several energy efficiency and ventilation-related practices
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green policy & incentives | |
DOE Dedicates $8B for State Home Rebate Programs | |
DOE has funding available for state-level agencies to run statewide programs to address home energy efficiency. States have until January 31, 2025 to apply. Rebates will be provided directly to “consumers” and “rebate recipients.”
Key program elements:
- Available for both single-family and multifamily rentals
- Increased home efficiency through ENERGY STAR certified heating, cooling, and water heating products
- Shift toward electrification with product replacements
- Higher rebates for low-income households
- Rebates can be stacked with other federal tax credits and state/local rebates
Program Requirements and Application Instructions | Federal Rebate Budget for Your State
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Single-Family Rentals + 179D Tax Deduction for Retrofits | |
The federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funded energy efficiency and decarbonization tax deduction and tax credit programs.
The 179D Tax Deduction for Energy Efficient Buildings includes two options: (1) General Baseline – for new commercial and multifamily buildings within scope of ASHRAE 90.1 energy standard; and (2) Retrofit – for all buildings 5+ years.
The Retrofit option requires 25% demonstrated energy savings relative to the building’s pre-retrofit site energy usage intensity (EUI). This option is well-aligned with NGBS Green Existing Building criteria, which requires 25% energy savings and 30% water savings for Silver-level certification.
The 179D Tax Deduction is a great option for owners of existing single-family home communities looking to implement upgrades. Contact us to discuss program requirements and process.
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Proposed Minimum Energy Standards for New Construction of HUD- and USDA- Financed Housing | |
HUD and USDA have proposed a new requirement that would require achievement of the latest energy efficiency codes/standards (2021 IECC and ASHRAE 90.1-2019) for new housing receiving HUD- and USDA- financing. In their document, HUD and USDA also proposed acceptance of third-party energy and green building programs with baselines at or above 2021 IECC performance as alternative compliance methods.
Home Innovation supports government acceptance of third-party green building programs, as they are cost-effective and offer myriad benefits besides energy efficiency, including greater quality assurance and technical and marketing support. We submitted a comment letter in support of the proposed alternative compliance methods. Contact us to view our comment letter.
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The following states have or will revise their Qualified Allocation Plans (QAP) for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. If you're aware of any current QAP activity in your state or locale not listed here or included in our online QAP Round-Up, please contact us.
Maryland
The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) published a draft of the 2023 Maryland QAP and Multifamily Rental Financing Program Guide. Comments were accepted through May 24th. The QAP would award points as follows:
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10 points - projects that achieve NGBS Green, Earthcraft, Enterprise Green Communities, Green Globes, or LEED certification
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8 points - projects built to one of the rating systems that do not achieve certification; for this option, the DHCD guide says “The certifying entity’s published scoring checklist and scorecard must be submitted and completed by the project architect or a qualified third party, and they must provide a statement explaining how the items listed on the checklist will be verified during construction.”
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1 to 6 points - based on prescriptive sustainability features
Note: Home Innovation’s NGBS Green Scoring Tools are only authorized for purposes of certification. We ask that partners not use the scoring tool to demonstrate achievement of QAP criteria when NGBS Green certification is not being pursued. If you have any questions about this policy, please contact us.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) released a 2nd draft of the 2024 Oklahoma QAP. OHFA will host a Formal Public Input Session at their office location (100 Northwest 63rd St, Board Room East and West Oklahoma City, OK 73116) on August 17th. The QAP would award 3 to 10 points based on the project’s HERS Score.
NGBS Green Partners are encouraged to participate in the public input session and encourage OHFA to recognize multi-attribute green building programs.
Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency published a draft 2024 Pennsylvania QAP, and a public hearing was hosted on July 27th. The QAP would award points as follows:
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10 points - new and rehabilitated buildings certified to 2020 NGBS Silver level, Enterprise Green Communities 2020, or LEED v4 Silver level
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10 points - preservation developments certified to 2020 NGBS Whole Building Remodel, Bronze level; 2015 NGBS Functional Area Remodel, Bronze level; Enterprise Green Communities 2020 Moderate Rehab; or LEED v4 O&M, Certified level
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Home Innovation seeks someone with building energy performance expertise to support the NGBS Green certification program. The preferred candidate will be comfortable creating and reviewing building energy models for homes and multifamily buildings, writing program policies and procedures, providing technical assistance to our clients, auditing building inspections, and analyzing building codes and standards | |
NGBS Project Manager with Eco Achievers | Eco Achievers seeks a full-time Junior or Senior Project Manager responsible for verifying sustainability measures during project design, analyzing and implementing the NGBS, and completing on-site inspections and performance testing. The idea candidate will be a highly organized, detail-oriented self-starter who is comfortable working in a collaborative environment. Most time will be spent in the Eco Achievers Chicago or Detroit office, but field visits across the metropolitan areas and occasional travel to remote sites are also important elements of this position. | |
Become an NGBS Green PRO, Field Rep, or Accredited Verifier! | |
Download the latest version of the NGBS Green Verification Candidate's Handbook for training information, accreditation use, and capabilities for each designation. Contact Us with any questions.
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Know of a program that may be of interest to our NGBS Green partners? Let us know. | |
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Get Started with NGBS Green How-to...
Contact us to schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation with a member of our green team to get started.
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Share Your NGBS Green Program Feedback
Take this 1-minute survey and let us know what you think of our delivery of NGBS Green certification and our customer service.
Give Us Your AXIS Feedback
Complete a 1-minute NGBS Green AXIS Feedback Survey.
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As an NGBS Green Certification Program participant, you received this email to notify you of important program and service updates, as well as relevant industry news and happenings. Home Innovation Research Labs will send email notifications periodically; we encourage recipients to add this email address (InsiderUpdate-noreply@HomeInnovation.com) to your approved senders list. You may unsubscribe from this notification service at any time using the link below, though please be aware that this will be the primary channel for conveying certification program changes, news, and updates to participants, and opting out of this notification service may result in missing critical developments and changes. Home Innovation Research Labs authorizes use of information contained within this email only by those participating in our NGBS Green Certification Program.
NGBS Green Certification is administered by Home Innovation Research Labs.
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