| May 7, 2007 |
By Brian Catalde
NAHB President and
Jerry Howard
NAHB Executive VP and CEO |
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NAHB's campaign to defeat costly fire sprinkler mandates
at the upcoming International Codes Council Final Action Hearings in Rochester needs as much help from our leadership and members as possible, First Vice President Sandy Dunn told the Executive Board at its recent meeting in Las Vegas.
 Calling for a full-court press by the leadership to contact their local building code officials and get them to Rochester to vote against the unnecessary mandates, Sandy warned, "If we don't all get involved, we will lose this battle that's coming... and that's just unacceptable." An NAHB loss at the hearings would result in fire sprinklers being required in all new one- and two-family homes wherever the International Residential Code (IRC) is adopted. That would significantly raise the cost of building a typical single-family home by as much as $6 per square foot, and possibly even more, for an onerous requirement that simply is not needed.
As we head toward this very contentious debate with fire sprinkler advocates, let's make one thing perfectly clear. Home builders are dedicated to the safety of those who live in the communities we build. We would never diminish the important role that cost-effective building codes play in providing for occupant safety and health. In fact, new homes are safer than ever, thanks to new building technologies and especially the widespread use of smoke alarms. Families should absolutely have the OPTION of having fire sprinklers installed in their new homes if that is what they desire. However, fire sprinklers are expensive to install, can be difficult to maintain, and related mandates have never been shown to do a better job of saving lives than smoke alarms. That's why mandates aren't the way to go – and why we have to continue to fight this issue with everything we've got.
As Sandy said at the Executive Board meeting, NAHB's National Vice Presidents, State Reps, EOs and HBAs have done a great job of reaching out to their local code officials and urging their attendance and support at the Final Action Hearings. But we can't rest for a minute leading up to this showdown on May 21-26 in Rochester. Click here for more information on how YOU can help NAHB win this important battle to keep new homes both safe and affordable. Contact: Jeff Inks, x8547.
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Another $2 million in "Buy Now" advertising assistance
 has been approved to help HBAs boost local markets that have been most affected in the continuing housing downturn. In the first phase of the program, $1 million in matching funds were distributed to HBAs that applied for help with their ad campaigns, and the program received enthusiastic and immediate support from our locals across the country since being launched in mid-February. Now, having reviewed survey results and feedback about the initial program, the NAHB Senior Officers approved the remaining $2 million in funding during last week's Executive Board meeting in Las Vegas. Responding to an NAHB Public Affairs survey sent out to members whose "buy now" campaigns were well underway, more than 75% of program participants rated their campaign as "effective" and 78% said it delivered a credible "buy now" message. A majority said that the effort had started to help change home buyer attitudes in their marketplace, and 78% reported that members of their industry and community viewed the campaign positively.
NAHB Member Benefit: In the first phase of the program, 51 local associations applied for and received $1 million in advertising assistance - which, including the matching funds that HBAs contributed, generated $3.5 million worth of advertising. With the release of more money, 36 more local associations have now been funded, bringing total funds distributed to $1.7 million, with campaigns totalling $5.3 million. To date, 87 HBAs have received funding. To find out how YOUR HBA can benefit, visit www.nahb.org/buynowapplication or contact Niki Clark at x8061.
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A new study on residential greenhouse gas emissions
 shows why consumer education and more efficient power plants are crucial to reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, while also pointing out that new homes are responsible for fewer greenhouse gas emissions than older ones. While the U.S. government has estimated that homes are responsible for between 21 and 22% of both energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, the report by NAHB economists notes that more than half of that amount results from the inefficient generation and transmission of energy. Further, "household behavior, such as how long lights are left on, may have as great an impact on residential electricity consumption as the number of built-in appliances or other amenities provided by home builders," the report says. The indication is that, while new homes are becoming more energy efficient every year, we may need to redouble consumer education efforts to significantly reduce energy consumption in our sector.
The study explains that, per square foot, new homes consume less than two-thirds the energy of older homes on heating and air conditioning systems, which are usually installed by home builders rather than chosen by home owners. The problem lies with older homes that have antiquated electrical systems and inefficient appliances, drafty windows and insufficient insulation. Further, while builders can certainly make a difference by employing new technologies and systems for conserving energy in homes, there's a limit to what they can do. They can't, for example, control the way households consume electricity in terms of leaving lights burning and the frequency of using different devices in the home. In addition to stressing the substantial impact that could be made on energy usage by improving efficiency of older dwellings compared to newer ones that already consume far less energy, the report warns that more stringent energy conservation requirements for new homes could raise prices and thereby encourage people to remain in their older, less energy-efficient homes. Read more in NBN Online and on the EPA's special Web page. Contact: Paul Emrath, x8449.
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Subs are responsible for the job site safety of their workers
 according to a newly handed down ruling from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The decision, which does away with OSHA's so-called "controlling employer" doctrine, was made in the case of Secretary of Labor v. Summit Contractors and clearly relied on the principal arguments made in NAHB's friend-of-the-court brief – in fact it cited our association's oral argument in October 2006. In the case, Summit Contractors had been cited by OSHA for failing to ensure that employees of a masonry subcontractor at its work site used fall protection devices when they were working on scaffolds more than 12 feet high. Under OSHA's "multi-employer citation policy," the contractor was cited because it "controlled" the work site and therefore had a duty to detect violations by subs and compel them to correct violations. But Summit challenged the citation and the legality of OSHA's multi-employer policy. While an OSHA administrative law judge upheld the citation, Summit was able to successfully petition the OSHA commission to review that decision. NAHB joined with the Texas Association of Builders and the Greater Houston Builders Association in filing an amicus brief in the case two years ago. Read more in NBN Online, or contact Rob Matuga, x8507.
NAHB Member Benefit: NAHB helped bring about this legal victory that will help our builder members. OSHA's multi-employer citation policy imposed undue and unpredictable burdens on home builders and created confusion at the work site over who is responsible for the safety of workers - thereby jeopardizing work-site safety. NAHB is now encouraging OSHA – an agency with which we are proud to have a strong and productive working relationship – to resolve any further questions on this issue via a public rulemaking. We will work with the agency in this endeavor to ensure the adoption of fair and equitable rules, realizing that, when employers take responsibility for their own employees, worker safety is improved.
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Helping builders meet consumer demand for high-tech homes
 is the aim of a newly announced partnership between NAHB and the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA). Comprised of companies that specialize in designing and installing electronic systems for the home, CEDIA will apply its expertise in applications to NAHB members' knowledge of the new home and remodeling markets to offer consumers new choices in home automation that can change their lives forever. Called the Home Technology Alliance, this partnership will help expand our members' awareness and understanding of cutting-edge technologies for new homes. NAHB's Custom Home Builders Committee will have oversight of the alliance. Contact: Grante Wright, x8051.
NAHB Member Benefit: With home technology installations expected to reach $9.6 billion this year, the Home Technology Alliance will provide education, resources, tools and product and service information to builders in the areas of electronic systems integration and home technology. It will also provide builders and remodelers with options for integrating home automation technology into existing homes.
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NAHB's Pillars of the Industry Awards
are the most prestigious national awards in the multifamily industry . Presented during NAHB Multifamily's Pillars of the Industry Conference held last month, the awards highlight the best and brightest in our profession across 30 catagories in the fields of apartment and condominium design, development, marketing and management. While far too numerous to list in this report, all the winners and details can be found at the following links. Contact: Ann Marie Moriarty, x8350.
Excellence in Multifamily Housing - various catagories
Registered in Apartment Management (RAM) Professional of the Year
Multifamily Development Firm of the Year
Multifamily Community of the Year
NAHB Member Benefit: Spotlighting the best and brightest in the multifamily industry, NAHB's Pillars of the Industry awards help draw positive media and public attention to the innovative spirit and noteworthy new designs that characterize this major segment of the nation's housing industry and help show all that the multifamily industry has to offer for consumers across a broad economic spectrum.
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Get ready for the launch of BuilderLink,
 NAHB's newly updated grassroots program designed to connect builders with their members of Congress who have significant influence over priority housing issues. Set for introduction at NAHB's Spring Legislative Conference on June 6, BuilderLink will provide NAHB members with the resources they need to visit, call, e-mail or write letters to their congressional representatives so that they can effectively advocate a pro-housing message throughout the year. Get more information online, or contact Molly Murray at x8470.
NAHB Member Benefit: By developing local grassroots activities that bring together NAHB members and their members of Congress on a continual basis, this program will build on the momentum generated by the annual Legislative Conference. It will provide a way to pinpoint key members of Congress depending on the issue at hand, and help ensure that home builders' concerns are heard and understood by lawmakers when important legislation is being created.
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National Membership Day is May 22,
 and NAHB is looking to break all previous records with your help and that of our terrific sponsor, Whirlpool. Last year, local associations recruited 9,550 new members, which was far above any previous National Membership Day drive. This year, our membership analysts predict that our recruitment efforts could generate more than 10,000 new members! Our guiding theme, "Leaders of the Pack," will be a prominent part of the day's Webcast, which will be broadcast live from the National Housing Center in Washington, DC from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m., EST. Members can access the Webcast at www.nahb.org. Read more at www.nahb.org/MembershipDay or contact the NAHB Membership Team at x8337.
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