Suppliers make NAHBGreen cert easier

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 21 - Home builders and consumers interested in certifying their homes to NAHBGreen, the NAHB National Green Building Program now have an added boost toward finding products to spec for building materials, appliances and fixtures.

Members of the National Council of the Housing Industry -- The Leading Suppliers of NAHB -- have begun to provide information about how their products' point values toward the various categories that make up the rating system used in the National Green Building Certification process.

Choosing these products can help ease the way toward certifying a home to the Bronze, Silver or Gold levels in NAHBGreen, said NAHB Chairman Sandy Dunn, a home builder in Pt. Pleasant, W. Va. "I congratulate these NCHI members for their support of NAHBGreen as we all work together toward more sustainable home building," she said.

Builders who want to incorporate these products and features should consult with an NAHB Research Center-accredited verifier, who can confirm how their inclusion will contribute to the point total and who will inspect the results.

Construction Materials:

• Building with engineered wood products and trusses, certified wood products and certified solid wood, and using minimum-size structural elements all earn points in NAHBGreen's Resource Efficiency section, according to the American Forest and Paper Association -Points also are available by making efficient use of wood products through carefully planned layout and design - and builders should visit the association's Web site to determine how many points are possible. The AF&PA's online Wood Manuals can also help builders choose sizes and satisfy building codes. Visit www.afandpa.org.
• ARXX insulated concrete forms (ICF) can help build high-performance thermal envelopes for commercial and residential applications, contributing to 40 percent of the points under NAHBGreen sections on Lot Design, Preparation and Development; Resource Efficiency; and Indoor Environmental Quality. Using ARXX walls and foundations can minimize site disturbance, reduce the quantity of building material and waste, manage indoor air and improve energy efficiency. Visit www.arxx.com.
• CertainTeed offers a number of products that may gain certification points: CedarBoards XL Single 7-inch Cedar Clapboard exterior siding is molded from real cedar boards and backed with extruded polystyrene insulation. Installing the product can contribute to earning as many as 22 points under the Resource Efficiency section. Northwoods Single 9-inch Staggered Rough-Split Shakes are molded from real cedar shakes and can also earn as many as 22 points. Chesterfield with CertaGrain privacy vinyl fence can earn up to 17 points under NAHBGreen's Resource Efficiency section. Chesterfield with CertaStucco won't crumble, peel, chip or crack due to settlement or stain and can also earn up to 17 points. Durham Aluminum Railing can earn a maximum of 17 points, Symphony Synthetic Slate Roofing can earn as many as eight points. CertaSpray Foam Insulation can contribute to earning up to 135 points. Platon Air Gap Waterproofing Membrane can contribute to earning up to seven NAHBGreen points. Visit www. certainteed.com.
• DuPont Tyvek Weatherization Systems help seal and protect the building envelope and can earn up to 49 points in the Resource Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality and Global Impact sections of the rating system. Visit www.tyvek.com.
• NAHBGreen can award six points for using a demand-controlled recirculation loop or an engineered parallel piping system and eight points for a central core plumbing system -- all with water volume limits. FBC Building Solutions FlowGuard Gold CPVC piping, FlowGuard Flex PEX piping and the FlowGuard MultiPort CPVC manifold system feature superior corrosion-resistance and are not affected by aggressive chlorinated water found in recirculation systems. In addition, the FlowGuard MultiPort manifold allows for any number of ports during installation while easily accommodating future expansion. Visit www.lubrizol.com.
• Sherwin-Williams applies its GreenSure designation to coatings that offer long-term durability, have the highest indoor air quality ratings with low VOCs and low odor, and meet or exceed the most stringent VOC standards. Sherwin-Williams offers four GreenSure designated-products -- Duration Home, Harmony, ProGreen 200 and Builders Solution Topcoat, any of which can help to contribute as many as six points under the Global Impact section 7.1.2 of the rating system. Visit www.sherwin-williams.com.