Third party verification is an absolute must. The ICC has not kept current with building materials, practices, or science and their inspectors are unable to provide the oversight that the industry deserves.

I agree that the agency that creates the standard has no business verifying the project or the products. This is why I cry “foul” on the NAHB for creating a faux standard and certifying every product under the sun in the same breath (for a small fee of course). Green Globes, LEED, EarthCraft, Build it Green, MN GreenStar….. they all require independent 3rd party verification. You could argue that there is some 2nd party verification in the review of the final binder, which is done either by a provider or the organization themselves. Granted it is simply a ‘check to make sure everything is there’ review, it would add an additional $500-$800 to virtually every project. Not ideal in either direction.

HERS was developed for the banking and real estate industry as a way to loan more money. As the science of homes got more complex, they failed to keep up. Their Green Rater Training was laughed at, and their failure to address Combustion Spillage and Air exchange issues was a problem. BPI does a much better job of creating a protocol that theoretically forces a house as a system approach to the testing and reduces the chance of a dangerous condition being created.

Finally, as one of the infamous “Verified Green” folks and friend to Mr “The world is flat” Lesieur I heartily disagree. Green is not simple. The choices are not obvious. The green programs we have today are crude contraptions trying to make some sense out of it all and HELP contractors navigate things. The Living Building Challenge is the closest thing to “true green” that exists right now. If Paul can pull one of those off, I will eat my hat.

The experts argue, all the while positioning their interests as prime. Homeowners are bored with the whole thing and forget green building because the only interest for many is cost savings. Why pay more for better building when you can shave costs and use that money for a room full of recessed lights.

Green is not complicated unless you talk to an expert, especially the Leed and Verified Green people. Lets make it the smart thing and not a science project you can win a gold ribbon with.