Sustainable design is here to stay. Exhibit A: The National Green Building Standard (NGBS) just certified its 200,000th home. Due to consumer, investor, and government interest, green homes are on the rise, and the NGBS Certification Program is growing right along with it. And some builders are finding they can produce a durable, sustainable home that saves on utilities for a similar cost of a non-sustainable one—or for less. Talk about a home that will make the neighbors as green as the house's energy consumption.
The National Green Building Standard (NGBS) Certification Program hit a major milestone last week in certifying its 200,000th home. The program, which had more certifications in 2018 than any previous year, has continued to experience increased interest in certification, fueled in part by growing consumer interest as well as the incentives provided to both consumers and developers for receiving third-party certification.
Builder John Barrows, founder of P3 Builder Group in Bridgehampton, N.Y., noted that consumers in Southampton — one of his primary markets — receive property tax incentives for green-certified properties. Financiers are also requiring or requesting green certification for multifamily developments, observed Karla Butterfield, sustainability director at Steven Winter Associates in Branford, Conn., and an NGBS Master Verifier.
Consumers are seeing the monetary value of green certification as well — not only through incentives, but the rising value of green-certified homes and reduced utility bills, thanks to energy-conserving features and high-performance designs. Builders continue to build consumer awareness around the wellness benefits of sustainable homes as well.
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