The NAHB is banking on its voluntary National Green Building Program, which will be launched Feb. 15 at the International Builders Show in Orlando, Fla., will pave the way for authentic yet cost-effective green building.

Why are consumers interested in green building?

A survey conducted for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) confirms that a desire for greater energy efficiency drives consumers to choose a green-built home.

The survey, conducted during the week of Oct. 15 by the Public Opinion Strategies, involved asking 800 registered voters nationwide about how important certain items would be in their decision to either purchase a new green home or remodel their current home to be more "green."

Nearly two-thirds or 64 percent of the voters polled said that "reduced energy costs" would be the most important. The second-highest scoring reason, at 55 percent, was "because it would be healthier."

And 49 percent of those surveyed say that using sustainable materials and procedures to build a home was "the right thing to do for the environment."

Builders are key to costs of the cure 

While NAHB president Brian Catalde maintains that "green" building "is the home buyer's best defense against soaring energy costs," he also argues that the nation's home builders are responsible for making the cure less expensive than the problem itself.

The NAHB is banking on its voluntary National Green Building Program, which will be launched Feb. 15 at the International Builders Show in Orlando, Fla., will pave the way for authentic yet cost-effective green building.

The program is based on three-year-old model green home building guidelines worked out by the NAHB.

These guidelines incorporate new technologies, advances in building science and materials for insulation, windows and other components mean that homes are significantly more energy efficient than they used to be, according to Catalde.

Cost remains an overriding concern, according to Neil Newhouse, a partner in the firm that conducted the poll for the NAHB.

"That's something that all green players -- builders, regulators and advocates -- need to keep topmost in their minds," Newhouse said.

Catalde said that from his experience as a builder, a big reason why home buyers choose energy efficiency as a motivator is because heating and air conditioning bills can "really empty our wallets." But energy efficiency has to be affordable, too, "so home buyers' money can go to green features, not green program fees."

The NAHB National Green Building program is being launched in cooperation with the NAHB Research Center in Upper Marlboro, Md., which develops and tests building science technology designed to increase the efficiency, durability and affordability of residential construction methods.

NAHB adds certification

To be certified under the NAHB program, homes must meet energy-efficiency levels that are at least equivalent to Energy Star, the federal Environmental Protection Agency program.

Since 2000, 750,000 homes have received EPA's Energy Star label, indicating that they are at least 15 percent more efficient than required by current energy codes.

Green is not just about energy efficiency. Catalde emphasized that builders should also be thinking about water efficiency, resource efficiency and indoor environmental quality.

"When a green home doesn't look or feel significantly different from one built using more traditional construction methods, when builders have the tools and resources to build them without significant materials or labor cost increases, and when consumers readily accept the finished product, then green has arrived -- and that's why the NAHB National Green Building Program will bring green to the mainstream," Catalde said.

The green building program will link dozens of state and local voluntary green building programs with a national online scoring tool for builders and verifiers and extensive educational resources.

"A flexible, regionally appropriate approach is preferable to a unilateral approach that does not take into account local issues, architecture, or geographic differences," Catalde said. "This program opens up the opportunity for all our membership to build green."

With the program debuting in February, the NAHB was interested in how its almost 200,000 members would react to it. A membership survey found that 90 percent were interested in participating in a voluntary certification program.

Catalde said the survey confirmed "that voluntary, market-driven programs are the best way to encourage the growth of green building."

Almost 80 percent of the builders and developers surveyed identified the NAHB program as the one that they would most trust over other national programs such as the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED-H rating system.

"We are committed to taking green building into the mainstream in a manner that keeps it affordable, which is key to its market success," Catalde said.

Survey questions also focused on green land development practices. More than 80 percent of respondents listed leaving as many trees as possible as the most important consideration when developing land for new home construction.

Other practices builders say are most important include minimizing site disruption (69 percent), making greater use of recycled materials in home building (59 percent) and preserving open space by building on smaller lots (54 percent).

Written by Al Heavens