Icynene® Helps Builders Gain Certification under National Green Building Programs
Despite the downturn in the U.S. housing market, the demand for greener homes continues to soar, offering a huge opportunity for builders. With growing demand, homeowners are also becoming increasingly aware about what green really means.
Green building includes how a home addresses energy efficiency, water and resource conservation, the use of sustainable building products and protection of indoor air quality. By seeking industry certification as a standard for new home performance, builders and homeowners can ensure that their homes are built to green building standards.
Icynene® is playing a major role helping builders achieve the stringent green building standards established by a major new U.S. certification program launched by the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) – the NAHB National Green Building Standard (NGBS).
The NAHB National Green Building Standard is a voluntary accreditation program offering credible, cost-effective green building certification standards, so a homebuyer's money can go to green features vs. green program fees.
The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ is another national program offering green certification for homes in the United States.
Icynene® can support builder efforts to achieve certification in both NGBS and LEED-H Program: |
- For the NGBS, Icynene® can make a significant contribution to the program's Energy Chapter. Icynene® provides a solution to nearly all of the physical elements of the home where mandatory insulation and air-sealing are required
- For the NGBS, Icynene® assists in maximizing the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) energy cost, determined through a software performance calculation such as REM Design™, where up to 120 additional points can be realized
- For the NGBS, Icynene® also contributes in the areas of Indoor Environmental Quality, Resource Efficiency and Additional Practices. (Note: Mandatory points must be achieved in the Additional Practices category)
- For the LEED for Homes program, Icynene® can contribute up to 34 credits in the Energy and Atmosphere category alone
- Icynene® can also help builders achieve additional LEED credits in the Innovation and Design Process, Materials and Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality categories
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Contributing to a higher standard of building
Regardless of the certification being sought, Icynene®'s insulating and air-sealing capabilities can help houses achieve an air leakage rating of less than 0.1 ACHnat. This meets or exceeds the Building America (DOE) standard for energy efficient houses and far exceeds the average 0.55 ACHnat for houses built with standard insulation.
Icynene has been helping builders construct Healthier, Quieter, More Energy Efficient® homes since 1986. Learn how Icynene® helped “Going Green at the Beach Home” qualify for both NGBS and achieve the stringent standards of Built Green™, American Lung Association® Health House®, Energy Star® and the EFL (Environments for Living®) Green Certified programs. Call an Icynene Licensed Dealer for a free consultation and start building green with Icynene®.
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