OFFICE CLOSURE: Independence Day | Our offices will be closed Thursday, July 4TH in observance of the Independence Day holiday. Due to limited staff on Friday, July 5TH, certification processing will be delayed. | |
U.S. DOE Publishes National Definition of Zero Emissions Buildings | |
In early June, the U.S. Department of Energy published a National Definition of Zero Emissions Building – a building that is highly energy efficient, does not emit greenhouse gases directly from energy use, and is powered solely by clean energy.
We will certify zero emission buildings through a new offering - +ZERO EMISSIONS certification. Compliance criteria for this new certification will be released shortly.
Read our News Release to learn more.
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Celebrating Pride Month - Lookback at the Ruth Ellis Center | |
Each June, we celebrate the LGBTQ community and highlight the ongoing efforts for visibility and inclusion.
We especially celebrate our NGBS Green Partners who constructed and verified the Ruth Ellis Center/Clairmont Center in Detroit, which earned Silver-level certification in January 2023. The unique facility offers housing and trauma-informed services for Michigan-based LGBTQ+ youth, as well as a health and wellness center, café, technology center, and community space.
Ashlee Wendela of the design team, LBBA, said, "The Ruth Ellis Center is invaluable to the LGBTQ+ community...With its place in the city, housing center on the first floor, and the community kitchen, it is as inclusive as possible to serve the multi-needs of the community."
Read more in Michelle's article.
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VERIFIERS NEEDED! Apply Today | |
Home Innovation Seeks New Verifier Candidates!
The NGBS Green certification program seeks new Verifiers to support the program's continued growth. If you are a green building professional - especially in Louisiana, Maryland, Utah, and the City of Chicago - interested in offering NGBS Green verification services, learn more here.
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Reminder - Share Your Feedback! GRESB Info Download | All projects on AXIS now contain a "GRESB tab" that pulls unique project data from the GRESB worksheets located in the 2020 NGBS Green Scoring Tools. | |
We want to hear from you to better understand how we can make this information more usable to you. We are exploring data aggregation at the project and client levels, as well as PDF and Excel data exports. Please let us know how we can best meet your reporting needs. Email Katie with your suggestions. | |
The federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program requires each state agency that allocates tax credits, generally called a housing finance agency, to have a Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP). The QAP sets out the state's eligibility priorities and criteria for awarding federal tax credits to housing properties. | |
Arizona
The Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH) will host QAP Focus Groups on Friday, August 23rd at their Annual Housing Forum. More information will be provided by ADOH at a later date. See Bulletin here.
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Colorado
The Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) released the first draft of their 2025-2026 QAP and a Summary of Changes document. Submit written comments here through Friday, August 30th, 2024. They will also host three public hearings, two in-person and one virtually.
Public hearings:
Wednesday, June 26, 2024, 11:00am-12:00pm | In-person at CHFA's main office: 1981 Blake Street, Denver, CO 80202
Wednesday, July 3, 2024, 2:00pm-3:00pm | In-person at CHFA's Western Slope office: 348 Main Street, Grand Junction, CO 81501
Wednesday, August 14, 2024, 10:00am-11:00am | Via Zoom: visit https://url.chfainfo.com/qap-public-hearing to attend.
Draft QAP would require all projects to obtain 2020 NGBS Green, 2020 Enterprise Green Communities, or LEED v4.1 certification. NGBS Green Partners are encouraged to share their support for Colorado's recognition of green building programs.
All information on the draft 2025-2026 QAP can be found here.
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Iowa
The Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) released drafts of their 2025 9% and 4% QAPs.
IFA will host a public hearing on July 9th from 10AM-12PM CT with options for virtual and in-person attendance. Written comments are accept up until the start of the public hearing.
Despite indicating that they planned to offer a basis boost for projects achieving Enterprise Green Communities, IFA did not include this in the draft QAPs. Instead, there are 2 competitive points available for Iowa Green Streets compliance. NGBS Green Partners are encouraged to ask that credible green building programs be recognized as an alternative to Iowa Green Streets. Contact us for assistance in drafting your written comments or talking points.
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Maryland
The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) held three virtual listening sessions on the 2024 QAP during the first week of June. DHCD is planning to release the draft 2024 QAP and Multifamily Rental Financing Program Guide for comment this summer. Any input, feedback, or suggestions can be submitted at any time to dhcd.qap@Maryland.gov.
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Minnesota
Minnesota Housing released their draft 2026-2027 QAP. The formal comment period is now open and closes Wednesday, July 3RD at 5pm CT. Written comments can be emailed to htc.mhfa@state.mn.us. Minnesota Housing staff is hosting a virtual QAP Discussion session on Thursday, June 27TH from 10-11am CT. Register here.
Draft QAP would require that all completed developments comply with the Minnesota Overlay to the Enterprise Green Communities Criteria. NGBS Green Partners are encouraged to advocate that credible green building certifications be recognized as an alternative.
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Virginia
Virginia Housing has published its proposed 2025 QAP changes. The 2024 QAP awards 10 points for NGBS Green at the Silver level, EarthCraft at the Gold level, Enterprise Green Communities, or LEED certifications. Rater registration through an approved RESNET Provider is also required.
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NGBS Green Product Spotlight | |
Weyerhaeuser Flooring & Sheathing: Edge, Edge Gold, and Radiant Barrier | |
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Every Weyerhaeuser Edge™ panel is strong, stiff, and stables. They are engineered to precise specifications to resist problems like cupping, warping, and sagging. Weyerhaeuser Edge panels are certified s biobased (606.1(1-3)) and certified wood (606.2(2)) products, manufacturer's energy management (606.3), resource-efficient materials (608.1), and low-emission wood material (901.4(2-6)). See more here.
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See the full directory of all NGBS Green PROs featured on our website. | |
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Welcome Green PROs!
Congratulations to Emma Parrish, Sustainability Coordinator of Moseley Architects, and Mick Fabar, Founder/CEO of Green Homes Australia, for earning the NGBS Green PRO designation!
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Show us your Certificate!
Post on LinkedIN and tag Home Innovation! Or email Joanne a photo of you with your certificate and we'll include it in a future newsletter.
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About NGBS Green PRO
Earn your NGBS Green PRO professional designation to validate your expertise in green design, construction, and building certification.
Successfully earning the NGBS Green PRO designation demonstrates advanced understanding of the ICC 700 National Green Building Standard and the NGBS Green certification program.
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The Arlington of Poughkeepsie | |
Location: Poughkeepsie, NY
Developer: PAZ Management
Verifier: Christin Kappel, Performance Point
The Arlington of Poughkeepsie is a mixed-use sustainable development. The first building is the adaptive reuse of the Arthur S. May Elementary School building, which underwent a transformation into 25 unique residences. The second building is a new multifamily building with thirty-nine units, retail, and office space. The buildings feature high efficiency equipment, appliances, and fixtures and are located within walking distance of commuter trains, shopping, and other amenities.
Read more in our case study.
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Webinar Recordings - HUD Energy Efficiency Rule | Missed our webinar about the new energy efficiency standards adopted for HUD- and USDA- financed housing? View the recording here. | |
NGBS Green vs. Green Globes | The NGBS and Green Globes are both ANSI-recognized standards for high-performance, sustainable buildings. Our latest comparison report examines the differences and advantages of NGBS Green Certification as compared to 2021 Green Globes for New Construction. | |
Key Facilitators for Offsite Construction Going Mainstream – Some of the industry's greatest innovation finally break the mainstream not just when barriers are removed but when important "facilitators" are introduced. Home Innovation recently included questions in our quarterly home builder Omnibus Survey regarding willingness to adopt various offsite construction solutions like modular, panelization, manufactured housing, etc. View our survey findings in Ed's blog. | |
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Home Innovation Research Labs seeks applicants for the following career opportunities:
- Accounts Receivable Clerk [Full-Time]
- Bldg Products Testing & Certification Programs Manager [Full-Time]
- Mid-Level Building Science Research Analyst [Full-Time]
- Research Engineer II [Full-Time]
- Senior Building Science Research Engineer [Full-Time]
See more information here.
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If you know of a program that may be of interest to our NGBS Green program partners, please let us know. | |
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Every other Tuesday, 2:00 PM ET | Join us here
Open Forum for questions, chatting, and whatever you need.
Upcoming dates - Mark you calendars!
- Jun 25
- Jul 9
- Jul 23
- Aug 6
- Aug 20
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06/25/2024 - HI Office Hours - Open Discussion, All Welcome | Register here
06/27/2024 - Minnesota Housing staff hosting virtual QAP Discussion, 10AM CT | Register here
07/03/2024 - Formal comment period closes for Minnesota Housing's draft 2026-2027 QAP; written comments can be emailed to htc.mhfa@state.mn.us.
07/03/2024 - Colorado Housing & Finance Authority (CHFA) draft 2025-2026 QAP Public Hearing, 2:00pm, in-person at CHFA's Western Slope office: 348 Main Street, Grand Junction, CO 81501
07/09/2024 - HI Office Hours - Open Discussion, All Welcome | Register here
07/09/2024 - Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) drafts of 2025 9% and 4% QAPs public hearing, 10AM CT, with options for virtual and in-person attendance.
07/23/2024 - HI Office Hours - Open Discussion, All Welcome | Register here
08/06/2024 - HI Office Hours - Open Discussion, All Welcome | Register here
08/14/2024 - Colorado Housing & Finance Authority (CHFA) draft 2025-2026 QAP Public Hearing, 10:00am, Via Zoom https://url.chfainfo.com/qap-public-hearing
08/20/2024 - HI Office Hours - Open Discussion, All Welcome | Register here
08/23/2024 - Arizona Dept. of Housing (ADOH) QAP Focus Group |See Bulletin here
08/30/2024 - Colorado Housing & Finance Authority (CHFA) draft 2025-2026 QAP written comments close
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NGBS Green Program Feedback
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This email serves as notification of important program and service updates, as well as relevant industry news and happenings. Home Innovation Research Labs sends email notifications periodically; we encourage recipients to add this email address (InsiderUpdate-noreply@HomeInnovation.com) to your approved senders list. You may unsubscribe from this notification service at any time using the link below, though please be aware that this will be the primary channel for conveying certification program changes, news, and updates to participants, and opting out of this notification service may result in missing critical developments and changes. Home Innovation Research Labs authorizes use of information contained within this email only by those participating in our NGBS Green Certification Program.
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