The National Green Building Standard and What I Can Do for Green Renovations on Historical Homes and Buildings

Historical homes are important to our housing market. Renovations on historical homes can be challenging because of surprise damage, regulations and preservation. Take this challenge and top it with making an older home green. This is where National Green Building Standard® (NGBS) comes in handy.

The National Green Building Standard® (NGBS) is a guide to certification for green homes. Chapter 11 in this guide is dedicated to the "Certification for Existing Buildings." Building professionals can use this guide for a comprehensive, voluntary, above-code approach to design and construct residential and mixed-use properties and for land development.  Builders are able to take this guide and use it as a "roadmap for green renovation projects" and match it with historical preservation regulations

Many builders are taking old historic buildings and turning them into residential properties. Things they need to consider are how many units will they include in their design and how much energy and water the proposed property will use versus how much the post-rehab used.

This can be a difficult task however with the NGBS these types of projects have more flexibility. Under the NGBS mandatory, historically designated buildings with historic designation restrictions are exempt from NGBS mandatory practices for unaltered portions. Cargill Falls Mill in Putnam, Connecticut is a great example.

Cargill Falls Mill is located on the Quinebaug River and is deemed a historical building. The property was turned into over nine acres of residential space with 125 units.

Karla Butterfield, NGBS Green Master Verifier, of Steven Winter Associates noted: “As a historically registered landmark, the complex was under strict renovation requirements. The NGBS remodeling program was the only residential tool that allowed the project to quantify the energy and water savings while addressing the great efforts made by the project team to reduce material and resource consumption, improve indoor air quality, address sustainable site strategies, and promote health and wellbeing for residents.”

Old buildings, especially in urban areas, are perfect projects to make into residential space. To learn more about the process visit the National Association of Home Builders site where NAHB’s Sustainability and Green Building efforts are explained. You can also find tips on water efficiency, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and other building science strategies.

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High-Performance Home Appraisal Guide

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High-performance homes are becoming more and more popular, but is the market up to date with appraisals for these specialty homes? Builders, sales agents and homeowners can take several steps to ensure local appraisers, lenders and the general public about what makes your durable, energy-efficient, healthier home stand out from the competition.

Step 1:

Make sure to highlight the home's high-performance features when marketing the home. This can be done by advertising, educating, teaching, highlighting and displaying these high-performance features.

When advertising, make sure to include the features that make the home more comfortable, energy-efficient and water-efficient. Point out how these will help lower utility bills. For tips on verbiage to use or ideas on what to highlight, check out Home Performance Counts.

Educate and teach others about the results of an Energy Rating Index (ERI) which includes the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score or Home Energy Score (HES). All sales agents and sales staff should know what an ERI, HERS and/or HES rating means and how to articulate the ratings to consumers and others in the industry.

Features such as independently verified green home certifications should be highlighted in the marketing materials. The National Green Building Standard is a great example that should be put on flyers and web pages. During open houses, display the ERI, HERS or HES ratings and an explanation of the potential energy savings. Also, display certification plaques that show the home is approved by the National Green Building Standard.

Step 2:

Buyers should choose a lender who is familiar with high-performance homes. Local mortgage lenders who have a separate appraisal panel of trained professionals with experience valuing high-performance homes are critical to get the value your above-code home deserves. It is important for a lender to choose an appraiser that is on the Appraisal Institute’s green registry. This way both the lender and appraiser will not be hesitant to appraise the home higher for its energy-efficient upgrades.

Step 3:

The sales contract for a high-performance home should include Residential Green and Energy Efficient Addendum. What this means is the high-performance features that are behind the walls and cannot be seen will be included. This documentation will help the appraiser fully understand the higher price when it comes to an above-code home.

Step 4:

Just like interviewing a sales agent, interview the appraiser before you choose them to appraise the home. Not only ask about their appraisal experience but also ask if they are familiar with ERI scores and HERS ratings. Find out what classes or courses they have taken on high-performance valuation.  The Federal Housing Administration, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac all require that the appraiser has requisite knowledge prior to accepting the assignment, and the only way to enforce that is to ask about their knowledge and experience upfront.

Including these steps in the appraisal process will ensure a high-performance home will be given the right amount the home is worth. Choosing a sales agent who is versed in energy-efficient homes will help buyers with the home buying process.

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2020 National Green Building Standard: Understanding Land Use Updates

 The ICC 700-2020 National Green Building Standard® (NGBS), had important updates to a couple of key sections regarding land use and housing development. According to the National Association of Home Builders, it is important for builders to take notice of these changes. Although there is continuity from the 2015 NGBS in many areas, understanding the changes and new offerings will enable developers and builders to determine the compliance path that works best for their project.

In Section 4 of the 2020 National Green Building Standard site design and development are defined. This section will give points for sustainable land development that is ultimately planned for residential construction. This section was created to help reduce detrimental environmental impacts by enhancing the natural features and improving the quality of the site.

A builder can earn between one to four stars for the number of points earned by the certification defined in Section 4. In the spring 2020 edition, changes were made to Subsection 403.6 Landscape Plan, Subsection 403.7 Wildlife Habitat and Subsection 405.11 Insect Mitigation.

Subsection 403.6 Landscape Plan allows up to an additional 28 points. The new categories in the 2020 update include points for spray irrigation and third-party qualified water-efficient grasses. An example is Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA) which limits water and energy use anywhere turf is planted.

Subsection 403.7 Wildlife Habitat allows up to an additional 6 points. Points are awarded on the design of sites abutting wildlife corridors, fish and game parks, or preserved areas. An example of this would be the outdoor lighting that would be close to the wildlife habitat.

Subsection 405.11 Insect Mitigation is a new category that has been added to the 2020 NGBS. A builder can receive up to 19 points for landscaping that helps reduce insect-borne disease.

Section 5 includes lot design, preparation and development. The points earned in this section have increased in the 2020 NGBS in subsection 503.1 Natural Resources, 503.4 Stormwater Management and 503.5 Landscape Plan to 19 points. Also, the following subsections have been added in 2020, 505.7 Multi-Unit Residential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Vehicle Fueling which allows 4 points, 505.8 Street Network gives an additional 5 points and 505.10 Exercise and Recreational Space gives up to 9 points.

Other notable changes made between 2020 and 2015 NGBS are that 2020 verifies practices via the Environmental Protection Agency, the International Wildland Urban Interface Code and the Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA). The 2020 National Green Building Standard® is a great tool for builders to work with and helps improvements on the development of land and lots. The standards give builders and land developers the flexibility needed to develop land and lots that are sustainable, cost effective and appropriate for their geographic location.

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