SAHBA Endorses Pima County Green Build Standards

The Southern Arizona Home Builders Association (SAHBA) today announces its endorsement of the Pima County Regional Residential Green Building Standards.  For over one year, representatives from both organizations have been working with the Joint Pima County-City of Tucson Green Building Subcommittee Taskforce and the SAHBA Green Build Council to develop standards for Southern Arizona.

"This is a landmark change in the building industry,” said SAHBA President Edward Taczanowsky.  “This action clearly demonstrates that builders are environmentally sensitive stewards of our community. ”

In collaboration with Yves Khawam and Susan Buchan of Pima County Development Services, SAHBA has been working to incorporate environmental considerations and resource efficiency into the home building and land development process to maximize efficiencies in land use and energy.

That means that during the design, construction and operation of a home, energy and water efficiency, lot development, resource-efficient building design and materials, indoor environmental quality, homeowner maintenance, and the home's overall impact on the environment are taken into account.

Pima County’s Green Building plan is voluntary and incentive-based, said Khawam, “to promote a higher level of acceptance for market transformation.  With any new program, it is important to build early consensus and goodwill, so all the stakeholders buy into the program from the very beginning.”     

On February 14, the National Association of Home Builders launched the NAHB National Green Building Program, a template for market-driven, regionally appropriate programs.  It enables local builders anywhere in America to achieve national certification for their green-built homes. 

The NAHB program features a dynamic online ratings tool at  www.nahbgreen.org  that enables builders to score their homes in seven categories to achieve Bronze, Silver or Gold level status.

Pima County’s program has taken some elements from the NAHB Green Build guidelines, but adjusted them for regional differences.  The NAHB program will be finalized through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) certification process. 

“When NAHB releases its final version, it’s important to note that this program will be adjusted as conditions change.  It is not a static document,” said Taczanowsky. 

During the year of ongoing meetings and research, it was determined that many local home builders already incorporate Green Build practices into their existing construction standards.  Many SAHBA builders “already are achieving minimum certification from both Pima County and our national Association,” said Taczanowsky.   

He added that, “Green Building is here to stay.”  Local families will soon see the benefits of even lower energy bills, healthier indoor air and a lighter global impact through the NAHB and Pima County Green Build standards. 

 

Details of the NAHB Green Build Program Guidelines are at  www.nahbgreen.org,   SAHBA represents 750 member businesses and 30,000 jobs serving the residential construction industry in Pima, Cochise and Santa Cruz counties.