Home Innovation Research Lab Reaches 600,000-Home Milestone in NGBS Certification Program

The Home Innovation Research Lab closed out 2024 by certifying its 600,000th green home in the National Green Building Standard (NGBS) program. It was also the first year over 100,000 homes were certified in a year.

NGBS provides home builders with a national standard to define and measure sustainable multifamily and single-family homes, developments and remodeling projects. It is administered by the Home Innovation Research Lab and can offer consumers a level of confidence they are purchasing an independently verified green home.

The 600,000th certified home was a renovation of a single-family residence in Baton Rouge, La, completed by Consilium Holdings, LLC. It achieved the certification’s Emerald level – the highest tier – recognized for its exceptional performance in energy efficiency, water conservation and sustainability.

It is also the first home to receive the NGBS Green + RESILIENCE certification, which highlights its improved resilience and durability against natural disasters and further earned the EPA WaterSense Certification for outstanding water efficiency.

The NGBS Green program offers certifications that are flexible, practical and performance driven, and over the years, it has been embraced by architects, developers, builders and homeowners.

Johns Barrows, the President of P3 Builder Group, Inc. and the Chair of NAHB’s Healthier Homes and Communities Subcommittee, is optimistic about where the program and green building are headed.

"[This milestone] shows the gaining recognition and momentum for green building practices in general, and more specifically, the benefit of having that certified,” said Barrows. “Builders and consumers are seeing the increased value these certified homes represent.”

After certifying more than 100,000 homes in 2024 – a feat the program did for the first time in a calendar year – NGBS is already just a few thousand homes shy of the 650,000-home mark, showing there’s no sign of it slowing down.

"The momentum we’re seeing in the program isn’t just a reflection of the housing industry’s focus on sustainability," said Michelle Foster, Vice President of Sustainability at Home Innovation Research Labs. “This milestone shows we’re on the right path, but it’s only the beginning. Our goal is to keep driving innovation and resilience in green building for years to come."