Home Innovation & Porch.com Partner to Make Certified Green Homes More Accessible to Homeowners, Renters, Buyers

Today, Home Innovation Research Labs and Porch.com announce a partnership that will help consumers find and connect with those who design, build, and remodel National Green Building Standard™ (NGBS Green) Certified homes, verified by accredited third parties. This is a resource that will take the guesswork out of green homebuying and remodeling for homeowners and renters across the country.

The partnership comes on the heels of recent reports indicating 2014 will be the greenest year yet for home building and remodeling. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in green goods and services is growing three times as fast as overall employment. According to recent findings from NAHB and McGraw Hill, in 2011 green building represented 17 percent of the home remodeling market; in 2013 that number grew to approximately 25 percent of the market, and remodeling firms doing largely green work are expected to double within the next five years.

As more and more homeowners seek affordable, credible, and accessible green options, they need a better solution for understanding the true meaning of “going green,” and access to the professionals best equipped to meet their needs. Having information provided by Home Innovation on the Porch platform will provide that solution.

Porch has taken a unique approach to developing a data driven home improvement network by amassing large amounts of local home improvement data – free for homeowners and professionals. With more than 1.5 million pros and 90 million projects in their network, Porch is changing the way home improvement gets done by making it easy for homeowners to find professionals based on who their neighbors have used and endorsed, real project and cost history, and expert advice. As a result of this partnership, the Porch data network will expand to include information on certified green homes.

“The green building industry is booming,” said Michael Luzier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Home Innovation Research Labs. “In fact, the pipeline for our NGBS Green Certification program, through which we’ve already certified over 30,000 homes and lots since January 2009, forecasts 50 percent more certifications in the next year than we’ve done in any year to date. With the proliferation of green rhetoric in the marketplace, it’s become increasingly difficult for consumers to decipher what’s truly green from 'green-washing.' All projects that carry our NGBS Green Certified mark have been independently verified by third-party, accredited verifiers to ensure they meet the rigorous criteria of the NGBS. Having these homes and remodels, as well as the architects, builders, and remodelers responsible for them, showcased on Porch.com, homeowners can have added confidence the green choices they make will result in more comfortable, healthier, more efficient homes that cost less to operate and fit with a sustainable lifestyle.”

NGBS Green Certification goes well beyond saying a home is energy efficient. It provides independent, third-party verification that a new or remodeled home, apartment building, or land development is designed and built to achieve high performance in six key areas: Site Design, Resource Efficiency, Water Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Building Operation & Maintenance. The NGBS was the first to be approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a residential green building standard, and continues to lead the home building industry in its affordability, rigorous performance criteria, and flexibility to fit all types of home construction and all market needs. It is also the only available national green rating system specifically applicable to whole-house or small project remodeling.

“Energy efficiency tops the list of most important goals for homeowners looking to improve their home,” said Asha Sharma, Vice President of Marketing & Growth at Porch. “There are many simple ways to go green and make a positive impact on the environment, your health, and your energy bill. From changing light bulbs to investing in solar technologies, homeowners are looking for education and guidance to ensure their green solutions achieve their goals. Our partnership with Home Innovation Labs represents just one of the many ways we’ll be providing confidence from our network for homeowners to choose any type of professional for their projects.”

Making it Easier for Consumers to Go Green

As part of this partnership effective today, homeowners and building industry professionals will benefit from the following offers and enhancements.

• Porch will create profiles for all of Home Innovation’s NGBS Green Partner professionals, featuring their NGBS Green Certified home projects and information for potential homeowners to discover.
• Any professional can join the Porch network for free. Home Innovation is sponsoring three free months of Porch’s upgraded profiles for NGBS Green Partner professionals.
• Porch will build new functionality into their data platform in the form of profile badges that will help further distinguish Home Innovation’s NGBS Green Partner professionals and brand NGBS Green Certified home projects. This will make it easier than ever for homeowners to find the right professionals with the right experience for their green projects.

Questions about or want to get involved in the NGBS Green Certification program? Check out HomeInnovation.com/Green, or visit our booth (#P22) at this week's International Builders' Show (IBS) in the Professional Builder Show Village area. Questions about Porch.com, want to see a demo, or interested in setting up a professional profile? Check out Porch.com, or visit their booth (#S2359) at IBS.

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ABOUT PORCH.com: Porch has developed a data driven home improvement network – free for homeowners and professionals. With over 1.5 million professionals and over 90 million projects in their network, Porch enables consumers to make smart home improvement decisions by connecting them with the right professionals. Porch helps professionals grow their business and succeed as more homeowners look online for trusted professionals to complete their projects. For more information about Porch visit http://porch.com.

ABOUT: Home Innovation Research Labs, located in Upper Marlboro, Md., is a full-service research, testing, and consulting firm determined to improve the quality, durability, affordability, and environmental performance of single- and multifamily homes and home building products – in short, we aim to perfect the home. Founded in 1964 as a subsidiary of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), our team has been integral in solving many of our client’s most difficult product and technology issues, and helping to introduce some of the most groundbreaking innovations in construction. Through an interdisciplinary research approach – including market research, building science analysis, laboratory testing, and standards development – we help to find a home for innovation in the construction industry.

NOTE TO EDITORS ON STYLE USAGE: To identify this company and its work correctly, first reference should be "Home Innovation Research Labs." In subsequent mentions, “Home Innovation” should be used; we are not identified by an acronym. Prior to February 12, 2013, the company was known as the NAHB Research Center.