The 2012 ICC 700 National Green Building Standard™ (NGBS) is the only ANSI-approved standard for sustainable residential construction. A collaborative effort between the ICC and NAHB, NGBS outlines the green practices that can be incorporated into new homes, including multifamily buildings, as well as home remodeling and additions, hotels and dormitories, and residential land developments.

The green practices address site and lot design, preparation and development; resource, energy, and water efficiency; indoor environmental quality; and operation, maintenance, and building owner education.

Four levels—Bronze, Silver, Gold and Emerald—enable residential professionals to go green at a level most appropriate for their businesses and specific housing markets, with Emerald homes incorporating energy savings of 50% or more over national model codes adopted around the country.

Changes for the 2012 Edition
The 2012 edition incorporates changes that make NGBS easier to use, align provisions with the latest model codes, and build upon the years of experience of building and certifying to the 2008 edition. Some of the more notable updates include:

• The Energy Efficiency Chapter has been substantially revised with the new more stringent rating levels based on whole-house energy savings above the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code.
• The remodeling provisions have been incorporated into two new standalone chapters and include options for rating an entire remodeled building or achieving minimum compliance for a remodeled functional area such as a kitchen, bathroom, basement or addition.
• The point assignments for Water Efficiency practices have been reanalyzed to achieve an improved internal consistency with regard to actual water savings.
• The durability provisions have been reorganized, expanded and compiled into a single section as part of the Resource Efficiency Chapter.