USGBC, Home Depot launch online green building product database

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), in conjunction with The Home Depot, has launched an online green home products database. The database is a special microsite within HomeDepot.com that features products geared toward green home building. Many of the products may contribute towards earning LEED points and prerequisites for the LEED for Homes program, making it easier for homeowners and builders to find the products they need.

Currently, more than 2,500 products sold at The Home Depot are listed on the website.

“The LEED green building program helps homeowners measure green home performance across a range of categories, and products play an important role in achieving certification,” said Nate Kredich, vice president of Residential Development at USGBC. “This database represents just one of the many ways in which The Home Depot is advancing sustainable, efficient and healthy homes by supporting green building and green products.”

The green housing market is growing rapidly, having tripled since 2008. Green homes, which comprised 17 percent of new residential construction last year, are expected to increase by 29 percent to 38 percent of the market by 2016, according to a report last week by McGraw-Hill Construction, a part of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

LEED-certified homes are energy efficient, conserve water and vital resources, and integrate environmentally preferred products into the design and construction of a home. Nearly 18,000 housing units have received LEED for Homes certification, a number that has seen significant growth in recent years. Fifty percent of LEED for Homes projects are classified in the affordable housing sector, echoing a trend found in last week’s report from NAHB and the Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI). The data shows that nationwide housing affordability rose to a record level during the fourth quarter of 2011.

To browse the database, click here.