Green Built Homes

Hello to all GBH Verifiers and Builders. This is our premier edition. It is our hope that this newsletter will be informative and helpful. We hope it will give you solutions to your questions and allow you a way to let us know what works and what doesn’t work. Hopefully this will make the verification process work efficiently for everyone. Together we can make the Verification process as simple as possible. Builders, Do you know about the Verification process? In an effort to maintain credibility and to ensure that all GBH Certified homes meet the standards claimed on the check sheet, Builders must hire Green Built Home approved verifiers. Green Built Home certified third party verifiers will review completed Checklists, plans and other submittals, conduct site visits and document that all Basic Requirements and Green Built Specifications are met for every home entered into the program. Verification that Wisconsin ENERGY STAR® Homes standards have been met will also be required for every home.

WI Green Built Home™ Program

  • Certifies multiple types of projects
    • New single family homes
    • Remodeling projects
    • Multi-family projects
  • Cost: $75/home, if member of GBH ($400/
    year); otherwise, $150/home
    • $50/home (bulk rate) if a standard
      specification sheet is on file with
      GBH (and company is a member)
  • Single achievement level
  • High flexibility in the way that points can
    be achieved
    • Landscaping: 5.0%
    • Energy Efficiency; 16.7%
    • Material Selections: 10.0%
    • Indoor Air Quality: 8.3%
    • Waste Reduction: 1.7%
    • Wildcard: 58.3%
      • Percentages represent minimum
        point total needed in respective
        categories, based on the total
        points needed for certification
    • Wisconsin Energy Star certification is
      required for GBH certification
  • Inspection after the rough carpentry stage
    and at the completion of the project
  • Compliance achieved through 3rd party
    verification and submittal of documents
    (either GBH Checklist, or GBH-approved
    Specifications) to GBH

NAHB Nat’l Green Bldg. Program

  • Certifies multiple types of projects
    • New single family homes
    • Remodeling projects
    • Multi-family projects
    • Development
  • Cost: $200/home if NAHB member;
    otherwise $500/home
  • Four achievement levels; bronze, silver,
    gold, and emerald
  • Rigid requirements for point acquisition
    • Site Design: 17.6%
    • Resource Efficiency: 20.3%
    • Energy Efficiency: 13.5%
    • Water Efficiency: 6.3%
    • Indoor Air Quality: 16.2%
    • Owner Education: 3.6%
    • Wildcard: 22.5%
      • Percentages represent the
        minimum point total needed in
        respective categories, based on the
        total points needed for the bronze
        standard
      • Must receive the minimum point
        allocations in each category to be
        eligible for that level’s certification
  • Inspection after the rough carpentry stage
    and at the completion of the project

IMPORTANT NOTE: If the NAHB Certification is important in your local area there is no need to choose between the NAHB program and the WI GBH program as Home Builders Associations have the option of offering cobranded certifications for both WI GBH and NAHB if they sign a participation agreement with NAHB. For more information contact WI GBH.

The WI GBH program offers significant benefits:

  • it costs less to implement
  • it is Wisconsin based
  • it was the 2006 Green Building Program of the Year