Green Building Standards

The goal of Green Building Standards is to promote and encourage the use of energy efficient and green building practices by helping communities to seamlessly incorporate these practices into their residential improvement.

Since Restore Louisiana is funded through the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, it is required that all construction taken place as part of the program adheres to the Green Building Standards as described in Federal Register (FR) 5989-N-01. Details on Restore Louisiana's policies as a result of this, and specific guidance for every step of the process is detailed below:

• For homes being reconstructed (i.e. new house being built), the Federal government requires that certain energy efficient standards be met. Guidance on energy efficiency features and construction details is outlined in the ENERGY STAR Plan Review Checklist. Homeowners must have an accredited Home Energy Rating System (HERS) rater, or other EPA approved verifier, complete and sign off on their checklist to demonstrate compliance. See Energy Star Certified Home checklist Certification below for more details
• For homes that were non-substantially damaged (i.e. home being rehabilitated), construction must adhere to the Green Building Retrofit Checklist to the extent feasible. This means that when older or obsolete products are replaced as part of the rehabilitation work, rehabilitation is required to use ENERGY STAR-labeled, WaterSense-labeled, or Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP)-designated products and appliances. See Green Building Retrofit Checklist Certification below for more details
• For construction projects completed, under construction, or under contract prior to the date of the program damage assessment, adherence to the applicable standards to the extent feasible is encouraged, but not required.