The United States enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the world. One contributing component of this standard of living is the supporting array of buildings and infrastructure. According to the Environmental Protection Agency this building stock constitutes approximately 40 percent of the total yearly energy expenditure of the nation, and accounts for 12 percent of total water consumption, 68 percent of total electricity consumption and 38% of total carbon dioxide emissions into our atmosphere.

In December 1968, the United States Federal Government’s National Commission on Urban Problems sounded an alarm. The Commission had been formed in January, 1967, as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. It was headed by Illinois Senator Paul Douglas, and soon came to be known as “The Douglas Commission.” Over the course of two years leading up to that date, the Commission had penetrated the labyrinth of zoning, housing and building codes, as well as taxation and development standards. It also documented the need to increase the supply of low-cost, decent housing.

On September 25, 2008, the Board of Directors of the National Institute of Building Sciences appointed a Task Group to review the current systems in use across the United States for rating and certifying building performance and accrediting individual expertise. The Task Group was charged by the Board to seek input on these issues from a broad range of participants in the building sector as well as the developers and managers of these systems.