Next generation of National Green Building Standard approved

The resulting ICC 700 National Green Building Standard is the first and only residential green building rating system to undergo the full consensus process and receive approval from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). 

 

For the first time, the standard has undergone Consensus Committee review and update since it was published in 2009.

 

"Not only does the updated version raise the bar on energy efficiency requirements, but it also completely revolutionizes how renovations and remodeling projects are treated under the standard,” said NAHB chairman Barry Rutenberg, a home builder from Gainesville, Fla. “The 2012 updates make the standard easier to understand and implement, and we expect that this will certainly help to build upon the momentum we are already seeing in green building across the residential building industry."

 

The new version of the standard incorporates several important changes including:

 

Energy Code Update: While the original ICC 700 used the 2006 version of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) as a basis, the new version will use the 2009 IECC. The requirements of the 2009 IECC are estimated to result in energy-efficient performance that is about 15 percent higher than the previous 2006 code.

 

Restructured Scoring for Remodeling: The new version completely revamped the scoring for renovations and remodeling projects. The revised standard includes two entirely new chapters devoted to existing building projects. The first provides criteria for entire buildings and includes requirements for improved energy and water efficiency that increases as higher levels of compliance are sought. The second provides a green protocol for the most common renovation and addition projects that focus on functional areas of a home such as a kitchen, bathroom, basement, or addition under 400 square feet.

 

Incentives for Development and Lot Design: The 2012 ICC 700 includes the addition of a new scoring opportunity for those choosing to build lots in green communities. In the new version, six points can be earned in the Lot Design, Preparation and Development chapter for choosing lots in developments that have been certified to ICC 700 or an equivalent program. No such incentives were provided in the previous version of the standard.

 

On Wednesday, Jan. 23, NAHB and the ICC will release additional information on what changes the 2012 standard entails at "Green Day" of the International Builders Show in Las Vegas. Attendees of the show can hear the details during a press conference at 9:30 a.m. that day.

 

The standard will be available for order Jan. 23 at www.BuilderBooks.com.

 For more information on the 2012 ICC 700 National Green Building Standard, visit www.nahb.org/nahbgreen.