NAHB GREEN
Southface is proud to serve as an accredited verifier for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) National Green Building Program, which incorporates regionally-appropriate best green practices.
NAHB Certification
The NAHB Green Building Program offers four levels of certification, including Bronze, Silver, Gold and Emerald, and can certify four types of projects:
- Single Family
- Multifamily
- Residential Remodeling
- Land Development
The term “land development” above refers to what is done to a building site before construction begins. It involves waste water management (i.e. specific erosion control techniques); preserving vegetation and trees; preventing landfill waste by re-using cleared vegetation; preserving wildlife habitat, and smart lot selection that may include redeveloping a brownfield, locating a site near public transit, and so on.
The National Green Building Standard baseline for energy efficiency is the IECC 2006. Buildings must also be ENERGY STAR® qualified which means achieving energy performance that is 15% better than homes built to minimum building code standards.
The NAHB certification standards address key green construction areas including lot design; preparation and development of a building site; resource efficiency; energy efficiency; water efficiency; indoor environmental quality; operations-maintenance- building owner education; and global impact.
