Reaching 4,000 certified green home builders is a sign the NAHB’s green building education and training initiatives are finding an enthusiastic audience in Oklahoma and nationwide, said Joe Robson, NAHB chairman and a Tulsa homebuilder and developer.
More than 350 homes have been certified and there are 4,500 projects in the certification pipeline, the NAHB reported last week.
“When the housing market returns, it will be accompanied by increased demand for green and energy-efficient new homes and remodeling projects,” Robson said. “Our members want to ensure they are ready to meet the demand, and that’s why so many are beginning to score and certify their projects or studying and taking classes to obtain their CGP designation.”
Certified Green Professionals must complete three days of classroom training, have two years of industry experience and commit to continuing education requirements. The course work offered by the NSHB is being enhanced to reflect the requirements of building to the National Green Building Standard approved by the American National Standards Institute in January.
NAHB is creating advanced training for Certified Green Professionals that will result in a new designation for building practitioners – the Master Green Builder Remodeler. NAHB expects to introduce the designation program early next year, Robson said.
Robson is founder and president of Robson Companies, developers of residential communities and commercial properties. He has been a member of the NAHB board of directors since 1990. Robson has served on the board of directors of the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association since 1990 and was the association’s president in 1993. Robson was honored as Oklahoma Builder of the Year in 1994. He has served on the board of directors of the Tulsa Home Builders Association since 1986 and was the association’s president in 1991 and 1992.
In addition to efforts on the national level, the state association is increasing efforts to encourage green building. A green building summit for contractors, real estate agents and homeowners is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Express Event Center, 8512 Northwest Expressway in Oklahoma City. The summit is being presented by OSHBA, the Oklahoma City Metro Association of Realtors and Guaranteed Watt Saver of Oklahoma City.
The summit is being offered to showcase the benefits, strategies and resources available for sustainable building in Oklahoma.
“Energy- and water-efficient buildings have lower operating costs, higher appraised values and owners may qualify for energy-efficient mortgages,” said the OSHBA’s Means. “Experts estimate that the return on investment on a green building is realized in approximately three to five years.”
Means expects approximately 400 people to attend the summit, which is intended for consumers in addition to industry professionals.
“It is what I call a mountaintop view of green home building without getting into the weeds,” Means said.
The goal is for homebuilders and remodelers to have information to answer questions from consumers.
“We are not seeing that big of demand from the consumer yet but people are starting to think about building green homes and ask questions,” he said.
Speakers at the summit will include Mark LaLiberte, who has devoted two decades to educating the homebuilding industry about the benefits of constructing durable, energy-efficient, healthier and more sustainable homes. He will discuss techniques for high-performance design and residential construction and issues contractors face when constructing green built, energy-efficient homes.
Other speakers include J.D. Strong, Oklahoma secretary of the environment; Don Carr, project manager at the National Association of Home Builders research center; and Kelly Parker, Guaranteed Watt Saver president.
Summit topics will include available tax credits for builders and homebuyers.
A day before the summit, a Commercial Developers Workshop is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Express Event Center. The workshop meets the elective requirement for the Green Realtor Designation from the National Association of Realtors, Realtor six-hour required Hot Topic and also six-hour appraiser continuing education credit.