Spotlight Top Features Consumers Seek with NGBS Green+ Badges

This post has been updated.

Builders and developers can now earn special recognition through Home Innovation Research Labs for NGBS Green Certified homes that "go above and beyond" in certain areas of green practice.

A home or building can earn one or more NGBS Green+ badges based on the specific features that are included and verified on site by a third-party professional. Available badges include:

• Net Zero Energy
• Resilience
• Smart Home
• Universal Design
• Wellness
• Zero Water

NGBS Green+ is designed to offer additional recognition through a streamlined experience. Homes and multifamily buildings seeking NGBS Green certification under the ICC-700 2020 National Green Building Standard® (NGBS) are eligible to earn NGBS Green+ badges. The criteria for all badges is drawn from the 2020 NGBS, so that building practices that contribute toward NGBS Green certification may also contribute toward badge achievement.

The intent of NGBS Green+ is to clearly spotlight the specific features sought by today's consumers that may not be as readily apparent through marketing of a third-party green certification.

"NGBS Green+ offers builders another tool to further distinguish themselves from their competition. This tool is particularly important for builders and developers offering specialty products in competitive regional markets," said Troy Johns, owner of Urban Northwest Homes in Vancouver, Wash., and chair of the NGBS Green Advisory Group.

"While NGBS Green certification is a broad designation that showcases that a home is higher-performing across multiple areas, NGBS Green+ drills down further and helps builders tell the specific story of their homes' unique features, with the consumer promise that comes from Home Innovation's third-party verification and review," said Michelle Foster, vice president of sustainability at Home Innovation Research Labs. Builders and developers earning the NGBS Green+ badges for their homes and buildings are eligible to take advantage of new marketing resources that highlight unique project achievements, including new certification marks, customized NGBS Green certificate, and building plaques.

To learn more about the NGBS Green+ badge program, visit homeinnovation.com.

The 2020 NGBS is available for purchase or free PDF download.