The National Association of Home Builders (NAH) has won a stamp of approval from the American National Standards Institute for its new construction = standard backed by principles of energy efficiency and environmental  sustainability.

The "National Green Building Standard" includes benchmarks that apply to new or renovated home projects, ranging from sprawling McMansions to  compact modular homes.

The NAHB label offers an alternative to the U.S. Green Building Council's widely accepted "LEED for Homes" standard, but USGBC's Nate Kredich  says it would be a mistake to think the certifications are about competition.

"Less than 1 percent of [U.S.] housing stock is certified under any  standard," he notes, "so we're focused on market transformation."  

Source: E&ENews PM, Michael Burnham (02/05/09)