The National Green Building Standard for all single-family homes, apartments and condos; land development; and residential remodeling and renovation was approved on Jan. 29 by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

The approval signals a new era for the nation’s builders, remodelers and developers and also provides an extra measure of reassurance for home buyers, said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson.

“The National Green Building Standard is now the first and only green building rating system approved by ANSI, making it the benchmark for green homes,” said Ron Jones, who chaired the consensus committee charged with developing the standard.

“The standard provides home builders and remodelers with a much more expansive third-party rating system that they can use to achieve ‘green’ certification under NAHBGreen and the National Green Building Certification Program,” said Mike Luzier, CEO of the NAHB Research Center.

The Research Center provides certification for NAHBGreen projects, which until now have only included single-family homes. “Consumers are looking for authentic, verifiable green building practices and now they’ll find them with a true industry consensus standard for residential green building,” Luzier said.

The standard defines what green practices can be incorporated into residential development and construction and how home owners can operate and maintain their green homes.

The National Green Building Standard also provides flexibility, allowing home builders and home buyers to make green choices based on climate and geography as well as style preferences and budget.

 NAHB and the International Code Council — as part of the stringent process required by ANSI — gathered a fully inclusive and representative consensus committee composed of a broad spectrum of builders, architects, product manufacturers, regulators and environmental experts. The work of the consensus committee was administered by the Research Center, an ANSI Accredited Standards Developer.

The consensus committee deliberated over the content of the standard for more than a year, held four public hearings and evaluated more than 2,000 public comments before submitting the standard to ANSI.

For more information, e-mail Calli Schmidt at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8132.

Click here to pre-order the National Green Building Standard from BuilderBooks.com. The retail price is $35.95; NAHB members pay $31.95.