A couple of weeks ago, the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) released draft revisions to the 2008 National Green Building Standard (NGBS). This document is out for public comment until June 11, 2012. The next version (2012) of this standard is expected to be finalized and published by the close of the year.

The NGBS, also referred to as ICC 700, is a voluntary green building rating system dedicated solely to residential construction. Similar to LEED^®, points are awarded for choices made during the design, construction, and operational phases of a project. The NGBS is the only residential green building rating system to undergo the full consensus process and receive approval from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

The updated NGBS draft contains two revisions which are very relevant to the tile industry.

In Section 611.2 “Sustainable Products,” up to nine points can be achieved if products used meet their respective industry standards/certifications. For tile, three points are now awarded if “50% or more of the tile installed (by square feet) is third-party certified to ANSI A138.1 Specifications for Sustainable Ceramic Tiles, Glass Tiles, and Tile Installation Materials.” This means that the use of Green Squared Certified products on NGBS projects can result in the achievement of a third of the maximum number of points available in this section.

In Section 901.7 “Hard-surface flooring,” six points are now awarded if “10% of the conditioned floor space has pre-finished hard-surface flooring” and if 85% of that hard-surface flooring is “in accordance with the emission concentration limits of CDPH/EHLB Standard Method v1.1.” Ceramic tile, organic-free mineral, clay masonry, concrete masonry, concrete, metal, and glass flooring are exempt from all testing requirements.

To download a draft copy of the NGBS, visit www.nahbgreen.org/NGBS.