Two Trails Inc. Sustainable Consulting and Verifier Applauded for Excellence in Advancing High-Performance Mainstream Home Building
Two Trails Inc. has been named a Home Innovation NGBS Green Partner of Excellence for 2016. NGBS Green, which is based on the National Green Building Standard™ (NGBS), has certified more homes than any other national green home certification program thanks in large part to its knowledgeable in-field verifiers. Being one of an elite group of Home Innovation’s green certification program partners to be recognized validates the commitment Two Trails has made to providing customers with increased value, professionalism, and relevance in the marketplace through third-party verification to the NGBS.
“As the home building market continues its rebound,” said Home Innovation Labs president and CEO Michael Luzier, “dedicated partners like Two Trails prove that participating in our rigorous third-party certification program isn’t just a passing fad – it’s a strategic business decision that is paying dividends and changing the marketplace. Others around the industry could benefit from following the lead of this year’s NGBS Green Partners of Excellence and building on the program’s success.”
As an accredited NGBS Green Verifier, Two Trails has provided independent verification services for 730 units that ultimately became NGBS Green Certified by Home Innovation Research Labs. NGBS Green Verifiers are trained, tested, and accredited by Home Innovation to ensure consistency and rigor across the country for NGBS Green Certifications across the country. As part of a projects design team we help provide information for the latest products and building techniques that help building teams build to a sustainable standard. We are also the 3rd party independent verifier for the project. We track the project components and verify the installation of these components to ensure the home is built to a sustainable standard. As a national sustainable consulting firm with offices in Florida, Nevada and Illinois we understand the challenges that different climates present to obtaining a sustainable certification.
“We are honored to be recognized by The Home Innovation Research Labs. Being able to make such an impact in the industry and the environment is a very rewarding feeling that gives us excitement to get up everyday to work on these projects,” said Drew Smith COO of Two Trails Inc. Sustainable Consulting and Verification.
To earn certification to the National Green Building Standard, a home must meet rigorous criteria in six categories – Lot & Site Development; Resource Efficiency; Energy Efficiency; Water Efficiency; Indoor Environmental Quality; and Homeowner Education. There are mandatory practices in each category that every NGBS Green Certified home must meet, and there are a wide range of additional optional practices in each category that a builder can select based on the applicability to buyers or renters in their market. There are also mandatory point minimums in every category in order for a home to attain the next level of certification, which is a more stringent requirement than in any other national certification program.
Since January 2009, when the National Green Building Standard (NGBS) became the first residential green building rating system to be approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), Home Innovation Research Labs has certified nearly 100,000 green single-family and apartment homes, and more than 1,650 lots within green residential land developments. (For more details on current certification numbers, visit www.homeinnovation.com/ngbsgreenstats.) For more information on NGBS Green Certified homes and Home Innovation’s NGBS Green Partner builders and remodelers, visit www.NGBS.com.
For more information on Two Trails Inc., visit TwoTrails.com.
ABOUT TWO TRAILS INC: Two Trails, Inc. is a National Sustainable Building Consulting firm established in 2001 with offices in Florida, Nevada and Illinois. We provide sustainable consulting services nationwide for Commercial, Government, Commissioning, Multi-Family, Residential and looking to obtain LEED USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council), ICC 700 National Green Building Standard, Energy Star, & Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) certifications.
Our COO, Drew M. Smith, LEED AP, was the founding President of the Florida Green Building Coalition and is the first Governor appointed Green Building Commissioner for the State of Florida. Two Trails, Inc. provides hands-on consulting making it easy to achieve certification.
ABOUT HOME INNOVATION RESEARCH LABS: 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 residential 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 residential construction industry.
Contact Information:
Tom Rupp
Two Trails, Inc.
Communications and Marketing Manager
contact at twotrails.com
941-776-8680