The state home builder associations of Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New York and Oklahoma have affiliated with the NAHB National Green Building Program, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Chairman Sandy Dunn announced this morning.
The new affiliation makes it even easier for home buyers in those states to find green homes and provides additional technical training, education and business opportunities for HBA members.
“I’m delighted to welcome the home builders in these seven states to the certification services offered through NAHBGreen,” said Dunn, who is a home builder in Point Pleasant, W. Va.,. “Our members are looking for an authentic, cost-effective and voluntary way to offer certified green homes to their clients, and they will find it in www.NAHBGreen.com.”
In addition to serving as a gateway to green home certification services, NAHBGreen-affiliated programs offer green building seminars and classes to their members, including the Green Building for Building Professionals class required for builders, remodelers and others seeking the Certified Green Professional educational designation from the NAHB University of Housing. Nearly 1,300 industry professionals have earned the designation since its February introduction.
Buyers seeking homes built with energy-, water- and resource-efficient features can call their local home building associations to find green builders in their area – or meet them at the Parades of Homes, Green Home Expos and other consumer events sponsored by affiliated programs.
Seven local HBAs also affiliated with NAHBGreen last week:
– Huntsville / Madison County, Ala., Builders Association
– Northern Idaho Building Contractors Association
– Home Builders Association of Jackson, Miss.
– Lake Norman, N.C., Home Builders Association
– Wilmington-Cape Fear, N.C., Home Builders Association
– Johnson City, Tenn., Area Home Builders Association
– Building Industry Association of Clark County, Wash.
“The future of home building is green, and if you don’t get ahead of it now, you’ll be left behind,” noted Jeff Stokley, president of the Wilmington-Cape Fear HBA. His HBA is encouraging its members to become Certified Green Professionals and building up its ranks of home verifiers so builders can draw on their expertise as well.
Stokley himself has broken ground on a 1,132-unit development in which he expects each home to achieve at least NAHB silver-level certification. The development will open in the spring.
National Green Building Certification is administered by the NAHB Research Center, which trains and accredits local verifiers to inspect homes in their area. NAHB oversees the educational offerings, including the annual NAHB National Green Building Conference, which takes place May 8-10, 2009 in Dallas, and the NAHB National Green Building Awards.
