Green building policies to watch this summer
Home Innovation Research Labs, the administrator of the National Green Building Standard (NGBS), noted top green building policies to look out for this summer.
Importantly, the transition of ENERGY STAR from the Environmental Protection Agency to the Department of Energy administration remains unclear. While funding passed the House Appropriations Committee in early June, allocating $33 million to the program, transition plans are yet to be made public.
On the state level, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency removed the green building requirement for new construction in its most recent draft of the 2027 Design and Architectural Standards. Comments are accepted in the draft phase before the plan is finalized.
“Home Innovation will submit comments to OHFA to express our disappointment with the removal of green building requirements and request that they are reinstated in the Final Draft of the 2027 DAS,” said Katie Dorn, NGBS Program Associate. “In our comments, we will emphasize the value of third-party programs and explain how green building certifications address more than just energy efficiency and therefore should not be replaced with solely meeting the state-wide energy code.”
