ANSI-Approved 2020 National Green Building Standard® Now Available

The 2020 Edition of the ICC-700 National Green Building Standard® (NGBS) is approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and now available for public use. This latest NGBS installment expands the scope of applicable building occupancies, keeps abreast of new technologies, and advances the standard’s tradition as the industry benchmark for residential projects designed and built for high performance.

“Green building and sustainable construction solutions help to maintain the health and safety benefits that building codes and standards provide for communities worldwide,” said Code Council Chief Executive Officer Dominic Sims, CBO. “The updated NGBS ICC-700 provides designers, contractors, developers and policy makers with the tools and blueprint for green construction strategies and practices. These tools also aid occupant comfort and health, save money and preserve resources during the design, construction and operation of buildings.”

First published in 2009, the NGBS set the national definition for what constitutes a green, high-performance homes, multifamily and mixed-use buildings, neighborhoods, and remodeling projects. As part of the ICC suite of international building codes, the NGBS sets a performance baseline informed by the most recent edition of building codes. Architects, builders, engineers, developers, and remodelers then can choose to use the NGBS to design and build buildings that are more efficient, healthier, cost less to own and operate, more durable, more comfortable, and more sustainable than code-minimum buildings. Builders and developers can seek third-party NGBS Green Certification from Home Innovation Research Labs to confirm a project’s NGBS compliance. Since NGBS Green launched, more than 216,000 homes and apartments have been certified, and over 150,000 homes and apartments are in-process, to seek NGBS Green certification, making it the largest green certification program for residential buildings in the United States.

“With an NGBS Green Certified home, ‘going green’ has never been easier, or more affordable,” according to Michelle Foster, Home Innovation’s VP, Sustainability. “When you see our mark, you can feel confident knowing that your home meets the National Green Building Standard ICC-700 (NGBS) - it’s more than a mark; it’s a commitment to bettering our planet and improving your life.”

The 2020 NGBS was three years and HUNDREDS of hours in the making. But the result is a consensus document developed by some of the nation’s leading code officials, building science experts, and construction industry professionals on how to make a building more sustainable, more efficient, and a better place to call home. The building industry owes a debt of gratitude to the volunteer professionals who participated in the process and were instrumental in making the 2020 NGBS even better and more robust than the three previous versions.

As an ANSI-accredited standards development organization, Home Innovation Research Labs also served as secretariat, or administrator, of an ANSI-approved standard development process, as it has done for all previous iterations.

The 2020 edition builds upon 10+ years of field experience from thousands of NGBS Green Certified buildings. Significant changes include:

• An expanded scope that now includes compliance for the non-residential portion of mixed-use buildings, as long as the residential portion of the building is greater than 50 percent of gross floor area (previous editions defined criteria only for the residential portion of the project)
• An expanded scope that also includes assisted living facilities, residential board and care facilities, and group homes
• A new Chapter 12: Certified Compliance Path for Single-Family Homes, Townhomes and Duplexes, that provides a streamlined compliance path
• A new water efficiency performance path that demonstrates compliance using a water rating index that generates a score relative to a standard baseline home
• An option to utilize a phased approach for multifamily remodeling projects
• A range of updated performance baselines and references
• A substantially revised remodeling chapter that offers a choice of prescriptive or performance compliance paths for energy and water efficiency

"With the issuance of the 2020 version of the NGBS," said Michael Luzier, President & CEO or Home Innovation Research Labs, "it continues to innovate and demonstrate why it is the basis for the largest green building certification program the nation, NGBS Green. An expanded scope for mixed-use buildings, and a specific path for production-style construction by builders and developers offers the flexibility they need to easily incorporate green certification into their normal production schedule."

The 2020 NGBS provides the roadmap for building professionals to integrate green features and sustainable practices into their new and remodeled projects; and NGBS Green provides an affordable, and credible way for builders to back up sustainability claims for their projects.

Troy Johns, a Pacific Northwest home builder whose goal is to bring healthier homes no matter the price point, proudly certifies all his homes NGBS Green at the Gold or Emerald level. “At Urban Northwest Homes, we strive to build the most technologically advanced, energy-efficient home available,” said Johns, who also chairs Home Innovation’s NGBS Green Advisory Group. “The NGBS gave us a roadmap for how to do that in an affordable, market-driven way.”

For building professionals, more information about getting your next project NGBS Green certified is available at www.HomeInnovation.com/Green. Homebuyers and renters looking to find a better, greener place to call home can visit www.NGBS.com.

Individuals can download a complimentary PDF copy at www.nahb.org/NGBS. The print edition will be available for purchase mid-May at BuilderBooks.com/NGBS.

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.