What are Green Certified Homes? 

 

The Oasis Home is certified to the ICC-700 National Green Building Standard™ - a nationally recognized green home certification program.

 

Maybe you are already quite familiar and versed with green homes, but maybe you are not. So what exactly is a “Certified Green Home”? Who certifies them and why is it beneficial to get this certification?

 

Certified Green Homes are exactly what the words imply: they are homes that incorporate green technology and practices to meet a defined list of principles set and recognized by the industry, and verified by an independent third-party. While many homes may have some of the elements of a green home, only a small percentage have gone through the process to be certified as a green home.

 

There are two nationally recognized Green Home Certification programs in the U.S., the National Green Building Standard™ (NGBS) Certification Program [1] and the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED [2] for Homes Program. Both provide stringent standards and practices to follow for certifying a green home build (or renovation) project along with resources to help complete the certification process. In addition, there are also many local, regional and specialty green home certification programs.

 

Green homes are becoming more desirable as they are commonly safer and healthier, with lower energy bills and less impact on the environment. Achieving a certification for a green home says that it has the stamp of approval of an industry standard. Green Certified Homes are the cream of the crop when it comes to home construction.

 

Certified Green Homes have become more common as the demand and benefits have increased. The number of green home buyers looking to capitalize on the benefits of owning a green home continues to rise, and home builders are putting more emphasis on eco-friendly construction and design. Many other countries have come up with rating systems for how green a home is when it goes on the market and it has been shown that homebuyers (and even renters) are starting to consider these variables when purchasing.  

 

To learn more about the basics of the Green Home Certification process and give you a good idea of what it takes to build (or renovate) a Certified Green Home, download Certified Green Homes -  A Step-by-Step Introduction to Certifying a Green Home, by Marla Esser, The Green Home Coach. 

Certifying a green home is a powerful tool – it communicates to potential buyers, the media, and to both green and traditional building industries that your home is of a valuable certified standard.