Home Innovation Announces Consensus Committee, Task Group Members for National Green Building Standard 2015 Update

In cooperation with ICC, ASHRAE, and NAHB, Home Innovation Research Labs recently announced appointments to the Consensus Committee for the next version (2015) of the National Green Building Standard™.

The development of the standard must follow an ANSI-approved process, and Home Innovation will once again act as the secretariat, or administrator, of the standard development process. Home Innovation issued a call for Consensus Committee members in February and applications were received through April 7, 2014.

Similar to the make-up of the committees convened to develop the 2008 and 2012 versions of the Standard, the committee for the 2015 updated version includes government officials, advocacy groups, home builders, product manufacturer association representatives, and other affected industry stakeholders in residential construction. The organizations represented on the Consensus Committee and their primary representatives are:

• ACCA, Donald Prather
• Adams Craig, Stephen Adams
• Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, Aniruddh Roy
• American Gas Association, Ted Arthur Williams
• American Iron and Steel Institute, Maribeth S. Rizzuto
• American Wood Council, Kenneth Bland
• Bayer Material Science, Jerry Phelan
• Cherry Hills Village, Hope Medina
• City and County of Broomfield Building Division, Tim Pate
• City of Denton, TX, Kurt Hansen
• City of Des Moines, IA, Sean S. Devlin
• Coconino County Community Development Department, Steven White
• ConSol, Michael G. Hodgson
• DuPont Building Innovations, Theresa A. Weston
• Edison Electric Institute, Steven Rosenstock
• Environmental Solutions Group, Steven Armstrong
• Foster Associates, Charles Foster
• G&R Construction Services, LLC, Robert D. Ross (Committee Chair)
• Gas Technology Institute/Carbon Management Information Center, Neil P. Leslie
• Habitat for Humanity International, Rob Howard
• Mathis Consulting Company, R Christopher Mathis (Committee Co-Vice Chair)
• Mitchell & Best Homes, Chad Riedy
• NAHB Multifamily, Miles Haber
• NAHB Remodelers, Paul Sullivan
• National Institute of Standards and Technology, Nancy McNabb
• National Multifamily Housing Council, Paula Marie Cino
• North American Insulation Manufacturers Association, Charles C. Cottrell
• Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP), Darren Port
• Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association (PPFA), Michael Cudahy
• Portland Cement Association, David Shepherd
• Ryan Taylor Architects, LLC, Ryan Taylor
• Schneider Electric, Wayne H. Stoppelmoor, Jr.
• Steve Easley & Associates Inc., Steve Easley
• Texas A&M University, Shirley Ellis (Committee Co-Vice Chair)
• The American Institute of Architects, David S. Collins
• The Laclede Group, Sid Koltun
• UL, Josh Jacobs
• U.S. Department of Energy, Jeremiah Williams
• U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, Dana Bres
• Vinyl Siding Institute, Inc., Matthew Dobson
• Winchester Homes, Inc., Randall K. Melvin
• Window & Door Manufacturers Association, Jeff Inks

The committee members have also been assigned to Task Groups, each focusing on a different area of the Standard — such as energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, or lot and site development. The Task Group appointments were supplemented with other individuals who expressed an interest in participating in the standard development process. A complete list of all Task Group appointments is available online at www.homeinnovation.com/ngbs.

The entire Consensus Committee will hold three meetings at the National Housing Center in Washington, D.C., during the standard development process.

• The first meeting is scheduled for June 9-10, 2014, and will focus on orienting all participants on the development process, and initiating Task Group review of the proposed changes.
• At the second meeting, which will be scheduled for this fall (dates TBD), members will review all proposed changes to the Standard and decide the formal committee action on each of them. After balloting on the committee actions has been completed, a draft of the 2015 NGBS will be released for a 45-day public comment period.
• At the final meeting next spring (dates TBD), Consensus Committee members will consider, discuss, and then take formal action on the public comments submitted on the draft standard.

Once the committee has completed its work, the newly updated National Green Building Standard will be submitted to ANSI for approval in 2015.

Initiated originally in 2007 by the International Code Council and NAHB, the 2008 National Green Building Standard was developed by a 42-member Consensus Committee and approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in January 2009, making it the first point-based rating system for green residential construction, remodeling, and land development to be approved by ANSI. As an ANSI-approved standard, the document is subject to periodic updates as a way to ensure that advances in building codes, technology, and other developments can be considered for incorporation; subsequent to the approval of the 2008 version, the 2012 NGBS was developed using the same ANSI consensus process.

For additional information and for all future updates on the 2015 NGBS development process, visit www.homeinnovation.com/ngbs.

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ABOUT: Home Innovation Research Labs, located in Upper Marlboro, Md., is a full-service research, testing, and consulting firm determined to improve the quality, durability, affordability, and environmental performance of single- and multifamily homes and home building products – in short, we aim to perfect the home. Founded in 1964 as a subsidiary of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), our team has been integral in solving many of our client’s most difficult product and technology issues, and helping to introduce some of the most groundbreaking innovations in construction. Through an interdisciplinary research approach – including market research, building science analysis, laboratory testing, and standards development – we help to find a home for innovation in the construction industry.

NOTE TO EDITORS ON STYLE USAGE: To identify this company and its work correctly, first reference should be "Home Innovation Research Labs." In subsequent mentions, “Home Innovation” should be used; we are not identified by an acronym. Prior to February 12, 2013, the company was known as the NAHB Research Center.