Colorado Housing Facility Becomes 500,000th Home Certified to National Green Building Standard
Bluebird, a permanent supportive housing facility in Boulder, Colo., recently became the 500,000th green home to the National Green Building Standard (NGBS). Bluebird is a housing tax credit project providing permanent supportive housing to those experiencing homelessness.
The NGBS Green program, administered by Home Innovation Research Labs, is a comprehensive and rigorous certification that recognizes homes for their commitment to sustainability. Achieving this milestone highlights the growing commitment of home owners, builders and communities across the nation to create more sustainable and resilient living spaces.
“We are thrilled to reach the monumental achievement of certifying the 500,000th green home in the NGBS Green program,” said Michelle Foster, VP of Sustainability at Home Innovation Research Labs, in a press release. “This accomplishment underscores the industry’s commitment to the design and construction of sustainable buildings that have a smaller impact on the planet and a big impact on the resident’s lives. Bluebird also showcases the positive impact that sustainable housing can have on our communities.”
Key features of this project, which achieved NGBS Silver certification, include:
- Above-code envelope,
- ENERGY STAR appliances,
- WaterSense-equivalent plumbing fixtures,
- High-efficiency cold-climate packaged heat pumps,
- Central energy recovery ventilator (ERV), which reduces energy consumption, and provides improved climate resilience and indoor air quality, and
- Onsite solar PV system that reduces the energy cost burden on tenants and decreases the building’s greenhouse gas emissions by 12%.
In consideration of its resident population, the building has been designed with trauma-informed design strategies to provide a safe, supportive space for people who have been homeless for years. The site is also located in a central area of Boulder with easy access to bike paths, walking trails and public transportation, and each resident gets a free bus pass.
The NGBS Green program provides a framework for builders and developers to construct homes that are not only energy-efficient but also healthier for occupants and kinder to the environment. The certification process evaluates various aspects of a home, including energy performance, water usage, indoor air quality and resource efficiency. By meeting the stringent criteria set forth by the NGBS Green program, home owners can be confident that their homes are contributing to a more sustainable and resilient future.
Learn more about the NGBS Green program at homeinnovation.com. For additional resources, visit the Sustainability and Green Building section on nahb.org.
Latest from NAHBNow
Aug 01, 2025
Meet at Home with Your Members of CongressNAHB members across the nation can build on the success of the June Legislative Conference by meeting with their lawmakers in their home districts in August to discuss key issues that affect the home building industry.
Jul 31, 2025
How Home Builders Beat the Labor Crunch with This Fast Financing PlanStruggling to secure labor can force builders to make tough decisions: Do you delay a project? Sacrifice profits? Or turn down new opportunities? But smart builders don’t just react — they adapt their financing strategy to meet labor challenges head-on.
Latest Economic News
Jul 31, 2025
Personal Income Rises 0.3% in JunePersonal income increased by 0.3% in June, following a 0.4% dip in May, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The gains in personal income were largely driven by higher wages and social benefits.
Jul 31, 2025
Housing Share of GDP: Second Quarter 2025Housing’s share of the economy registered 16.3% in the second quarter of 2025, according to the advance estimate of GDP produced by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This reading is unchanged from a revised level of 16.3% in the first quarter and is the same as the share one year ago.
Jul 30, 2025
Fed Remains on Pause AgainAt the conclusion of its July meeting, the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee once again held the federal funds rate constant at a top rate of 4.5%. However, two members of the committee dissented from the decision (Fed Board Governors Waller and Bowman), the largest number of dissenting votes since 1993.