Consumer E-Newsletter - 07/26/2007 (Plain Text Version)

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In this issue:
First Home Purchase 101: The Financial Preparation Basics
It’s Gettin’ Hot in Here! Tips for Keeping Cool This Summer
Top Ways to Add Value to Your Home
New Hotline Helps Prevent Home Foreclosure
When the Family Is Away, Make Sure the Burglars Don’t Play
NAHB to Launch National Green Building Program
How Long Will It Last? From Roof to Paint, The Life Expectancy of Your Home’s Components
Keep Safe With Smoke Alarms
It Pays to Go Green When Remodeling
Photo Gallery: Outdoor Spaces
In My Opinion: Fair Housing for Housing Affordability
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NAHB to Launch National Green Building Program

Looking to buy a new green-built home or do some green remodeling? The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is about to launch an important new program to make that task easier.

NAHB is creating a national green building program to provide a template for voluntary, market-driven green building all over the country. A brand-new Web site with extensive consumer information and resources and a national directory of green builders are also being developed.

The new program includes certification based on the National Green Building Standard, a model for residential construction and renovation written by builders, architects, environmentalists and product experts that will be released in early 2008.

This standard is based on NAHB’s Model Green Home Building Guidelines, which are the foundation of more than 20 state and local residential green building programs.

“With a national program, home buyers can be assured that their home is truly green, whether they live in Seattle or Savannah, in a condo or a ranch house, and whether they’re renovating or buying new,” said NAHB President Brian Catalde, a Southern California home builder.

“It’s also the next logical step for us as leaders in the green building movement. Our members have built nearly 100,000 green homes in voluntary programs launched by home building associations all over the country. Each of these homes is unique, representing local geography, climate and consumer preference. With an affordable national program, we will provide home buyers with green homes even where there is no local program in place,” Catalde said.

Like the Model Green Home Building Guidelines and the Standard, the National Green Building Program takes into account a home’s lot development, resources use, energy and water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, durability and ease of maintenance, and homeowner education efforts when determining its “greenness.”

The program will be housed at the NAHB Research Center, the country’s premier institute of home building product certification and research. It will include an interactive, web-based certification system as well as other tools and resources for home buyers, builders and certifiers, and a national registry of green builders and green homes. Many of these builders are part of local green building programs which will include the national name in their marketing pieces.

“When it comes to residential building and remodeling, NAHB members are leading the way to creating a new, green-built nation,” Catalde said. “With the expertise and resources of the NAHB Research Center, our new national program will help accelerate that process.”