A draft of the National Green Building Standard was released on Aug. 10 for public comment, and the comment period will end on Sept. 24. The new voluntary green standard for the home building industry is based upon NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines. NAHB is working with the International Code Council to create the standard and the two chose a consensus committee representing a broad spectrum of builders, code and government officials, energy experts, suppliers and industry consultants.

One of the major challenges is ensuring that the standard can be adapted regionally. The standard’s success, committee members believe, lies in making sure that green building practices remain flexible, reflecting the area of the country where the homes are being built.

A draft of the National Green Building Standard is available at this Web site: www.nahbrc.org/technical/standards/gbfirstdraft.aspx. A second public comment period is scheduled for October.