Five Steps to a More Sustainable Home Remodel

Last month, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved the newly revised 2025 National Green Building Standard® (NGBS), which includes significant changes to promote green renovations. To celebrate National Home Remodeling Month, here are five steps remodelers can take to make their projects more sustainable and put them on a path toward NGBS certification.

Use resource-efficient materials and regional resources

Products created using fewer raw materials can be used to achieve the same end-use requirements as conventional products but have fewer environmental impacts. Look for products such as:

• Lighter, thinner brick
• Engineered wood or engineered steel products
• Prefabricated roof or floor trusses.

Focusing on regional components such as wood or stone that come from an area near the job site can also garner benefits, as transportation and potentially packaging requirements are reduced.

Follow resiliency best practices

A vulnerability assessment is the first step toward a sustainable remodel. An assessment of the property’s risks to climate, seismic and natural disasters, performed by an approved professional, allows remodelers to design and plan the project to adapt to and mitigate any identified hazard risks. The resilience section of the NGBS is largely based off the Designing for Natural Hazards series (DNH), a set of guidelines developed to help builders and remodelers identify cost-effective steps they can take to make a home more resilient. The more practices followed, the more points a project can accrue toward NGBS certification. The DNH outlines preventative practices for the following categories:

• Wind Resilience
• Water Resilience
• Fire Resilience
• Earth Resilience
• Auxiliary

NGBS credit can also be obtained by installing resilient energy systems and planning for passive survivability.

Use efficient HVAC technology

Installing an efficient heating and cooling system in a remodeling project that fits the client’s needs is a simple way to build to the NGBS. Fuel choice is incredibly important and the NGBS recognizes many options including:

• gas and propane heaters;
• oil furnace; 
• gas and oil boilers and water heaters; 
• whole dwelling unit fan; 
• ductless heating and cooling systems; 
• electric air conditioner and heat pump cooling; 
• electric grid enabled water heating; 
• gas engine-drive heat pump cooling; 
• water source cooling and heating; 
• solar water heaters; and 
• ground source heat pump.

Follow passive cooling design strategies

The NGBS references passive cooling design, one of the practices of Climate Responsive Design, which uses the orientation of the building, natural ventilation, and design practices to cool the building in lieu of mechanical systems. The use of these techniques can lower energy costs while maintaining comfort for those inside the home.  

Credit can be given for providing exterior shading on east and west windows using one or a combination of the following:  

• Vine-covered trellises with the vegetation
• Moveable awnings or louvers 
• Covered porches 
• Attached or detached conditioned/unconditioned enclosed space that provides full shade of east and west windows (e.g., detached garage, shed) 
• Overhangs installed to provide shading on south-facing 
• Windows and/or venting skylights located to facilitate cross ventilation, to allow fresh air to flow through opposite sides of homes, and stack effect ventilation, for natural airflow as warm air rises
• Solar reflective roof or radiant barrier

Install water-conserving fixtures and appliances

The 2025 NGBS showcases a menu of options for practices that are designed to conserve water, including using ENERGY STAR®, WaterSense or other energy efficient dishwashers and/or clothes washers. Outdated water fixtures can be a major source of water loss and reduced efficiency in homes. The NGBS also rewards new and remodeled homes that reduce overall water consumption, as determined by the percentage difference between the estimated annual consumption before and after the remodel.