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| Accreditation and Green Construction Codes |
| By C.P. (Chuck) Ramani, IAS President |
IAS accredits organizations whose services may be used by businesses and regulators engaged in providing the United States with energy-efficient, sustainable infrastructure. New services, products and systems are rapidly coming to market to keep pace with green environment initiatives. Already, 11 states and a long list of communities across the nation are providing incentives to encourage sustainable construction. Recently, two significant events occurred that promise to accelerate the nation's push towards energy efficiency and sustainability. The first event occurred on January 28, 2009, when the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation (The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) that includes $3.4 billion in energy assistance grants for states that adopt the Code Council's 2009 International Energy Conservation Code. The second event was the January 29, 2009, approval of ICC-700, known as the National Green Building Standard, as an American National Standard. In keeping with the goals set by the Obama administration, IAS is committed to facilitating the needs of industry and regulators by identifying energy-related and sustainability standards and by offering accreditation under these "green" standards to testing and calibration laboratories and inspection agencies. The ICC Evaluation Service—a Code Council subsidiary—developed the Sustainable Attributes Verification and Evaluation (SAVE) program to provide independent confirmation that evaluated building products are sustainable and may qualify for points under ICC-700 as well as major green rating systems such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Green Globes. A SAVE evaluation involves both inspection of the manufacturer's production process and reviews of independent product testing, where required. Manufacturers who successfully complete the evaluation process receive a Verification of Attributes Report. Design professionals will be able to use the reports as evidence that products or systems they select qualify for points under green programs. The green initiatives of IAS began in April 2008 when the organization convened a "green" forum in conjunction with the public hearings of the IAS Accreditation Committee. The forum featured Dr. Lance Williams, Regional Director of the U.S. Green Building Council. Recognizing that environmental issues were becoming increasingly important in the construction industry, the forum was used to launch an initiative to address environmental concerns and to benefit organizations that IAS accredits, the construction industry, and manufacturers who need independent verification that their products, services and systems truly meet sustainability standards. In his address during the forum, Dr. Williams stated that the market for green building is projected to double over the next five years. Given these circumstances, it is imperative that providers of green-related services, products and systems have access to laboratories and inspection bodies that are accredited under green standards by a globally recognized organization like IAS. An IAS Green Building Requirement Standards list provides a sampling of typical green standards or requirements for which IAS accreditation is currently available. In fact, IAS already accredits several laboratories to green standards in the areas of emission of volatile organic compounds, photovoltaic cells for solar collectors, calibration services for wind energy producers, and testing of low flow plumbing products under the Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program. Additional information on testing laboratories and inspection agencies is available on the IAS website.
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At the recent Green Building Focus Conference attended by over 1,400 building professionals in Birmingham, Alabama, the International Code Council's (ICC) Chief Operating Officer Dominic Sims told delegates that enforcement of Green Construction Codes such as the International Green Construction Code, under development by ICC, will ensure safety as well as sustainability in the built environment. This newest addition to the international family of codes is being co-sponsored by the American Institute of Architects and ASTM International.