COVID Changes - Temp or Perm?

There’s certainly no arguing that COVID changed our world, but the debate continues as to whether the day-to-day changes are temporary or if they will have a long-lasting impact on our behaviors. In an effort to determine if COVID will have a lasting impact on new home features and on the business of building them, Home Innovation Research Labs conducted a survey in collaboration with Professional Builder magazine to learn specifically what practices were adopted as a result of COVID, and which of those practices will remain after the pandemic is “over.”

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The Who, What, How, When, and Why of the NGBS Green Appeals Process

As the NGBS Green independent certification agency, Home Innovation takes the responsibility of granting a green building certification very seriously. NGBS Green certification follows a carefully prescribed process designed to ensure that buildings are designed and constructed to the NGBS’s rigorous requirements, and our 100% third-party verification system requires an independent Verifier to schedule multiple inspections to ensure what the architect designs is what gets built.  But construction can be messy and sometimes, even with the best intentions, the process goes awry. Perhaps the site superintendent forgets to schedule the Verifier’s site visit before the sheetrock contractor hangs drywall in some apartments. Or, maybe the building owner misses a key program deadline. Less common, but also possible, is that an NGBS practice is written unclearly, and real-world compliance is uncertain. The NGBS Green Appeals process can offer administrative relief, or at least consideration of an alternative compliance process, for projects that face such issues.

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Proof Points: An NGBS Green Home is a Better Built Home

The NGBS Green certification process is designed to confirm a home or multifamily building meets the stringent requirements of the National Green Building Standard ICC-700 (NGBS). A building that earns the NGBS Green certification mark has been shown to conform to the NGBS as verified in-person by an Accredited NGBS Green Verifier and certified as conforming by Home Innovation Research Labs. As the national NGBS Green certification agency, our Quality Assurance (QA) oversight runs deep and we have expansive procedures to ensure buildings earning the certification mark are NGBS compliant. These QA procedures reinforce the NGBS Green certification mark by increasing homebuyer’s and renter’s confidence, bolstering the program’s value to builders and developers, and solidifying the program’s credibility with lenders and government agencies. Find our more about the QA that's "baked in" to our certification program.

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How HUD Transformed the Multifamily Market Via Green Incentives & Policy

Without question, the single most impactful catalyst for green, high-performance multifamily buildings has been the HUD Green Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP) Reduction. The Green MIP reduction was the game changer the residential construction industry needed. It was a big enough financial incentive that even the most stalwart anti-green developer or owner couldn’t resist. As news of the HUD MIP reduction spread through the industry, developers and owners that previously never considered a green certification, or even openly scoffed at the suggestion, changed their minds. Find out how federal incentives have worked, and can continue to work, to help us reach a greener future faster.

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Quick QAP Recap: August 2021

Home Innovation actively advocates for third-party certified, green, affordable housing by providing input for state Qualified Allocation Plan (QAPs). QAPs specify a state agency’s allocation of federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). Most QAPs include criteria for energy efficiency and green building, and nearly 30 states specify green building certification as a requirement or point-based incentive. When third-party green certification is included within a QAP, NGBS Green Certification is typically recognized alongside other credible national green building programs. NGBS Green certification is affordable to implement, making it ideally suited for affordable housing.

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$o Many Rea$on$ to Get NGB$ Green Certified

Some multifamily developers forego seeking green building certification because they believe the costs are too high. It can cost a lot – but not for the reasons they may be thinking. Ultimately, it’s not that the costs are too high to earn the green certification – rather, it is the opportunity cost of leaving tens of thousands of dollars of incentive financing on the table when they don’t have a green certification. As these developers finalize their permanent financing, they realize how green certification would have more than paid for itself (many times over) if only they had added it as a design objective prior to construction.

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Deep Dive: How State LIHTC Programs Reference Third-Party Green Building Programs

State Qualified Allocation Plans (QAPs) specify a state agency’s allocation of federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). To encourage the development of residences that support their sustainability, resilience, and healthy housing goals, states can provide federal housing tax credits to developers that build green certified housing. Comprehensive green building programs help to ensure that projects funded by housing credits will not only create new housing opportunities, but also ensure that people living in affordable housing can live healthier, spend less money on utilities, and have more opportunities with access to transportation, better quality food, and health care.

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Voice of the Verifier: Drew Smith, NGBS Green MASTER Verifier on the 2021 TNAR Show Home

Every couple weeks we allow a green blog takeover by one of our NGBS Green program’s Verifier influencers with green expertise to share. Today's takeover-er is Drew Smith, of Two Trails, Inc., an NGBS Green MASTER Verifier with many years of experience verifying The New American Home (TNAH) and The New American Remodel (TNAR) show homes that are featured at the International Builders’ Show annually. Find out some of the unique challenges and opportunities that he and the project team for the 2021 TNAR experienced.

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Voice of the Verifier: Abe Kruger, NGBS Green Verifier

Come takeover the Home Innovation Insights blog! Every few weeks we are allowing a green blog media takeover and granting posting privileges to a Verifier influencer with green expertise to share.

Today's takeover-er is Abe Kruger, SK Collaborative and an accredited NGBS Green Verifier. Read on to see what Abe has to say.

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Quick QAP Recap

Home Innovation actively advocates for third-party certified, green, affordable housing by providing input for state Qualified Allocation Plan (QAPs). QAPs specify a state agency’s allocation of federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). Most QAPs include criteria for energy efficiency and green building, and nearly 30 states specify green building certification as a requirement or point-based incentive. When third-party green certification is included within a QAP, NGBS Green Certification is typically recognized alongside other credible national green building programs. NGBS Green certification is affordable to implement, making it ideally suited for affordable housing.

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