Coopersburg, PA — Lighting control manufacturer Lutron Electronics is pleased to announce that its energy-saving Radio Powr Savr™ occupancy/vacancy sensor, Maestro® dimmer and switch with occupancy sensors and Maestro eco-timer can be used by builders to qualify for points toward two categories of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Green Building Standard. The Standard provides practices for the design, construction and certification of green residential buildings, renovations and land developments.

Under the Standard, green building practices are assigned point values. A home can attain one of four performance levels — Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Emerald — depending on how many green practices are included in the single-family home or the multifamily building. For a building to attain any certification level, all of the applicable mandatory provisions must be correctly implemented. In addition to the mandatory provisions, the Standard requires the home to include sufficient green practices in each of the six categories of green building practices to meet the category minimums for each green level.

Products are evaluated and approved for Standard compliance by the NAHB Research Center, a subsidiary of the NAHB whose mission is to make housing more durable and affordable. Lutron products qualify for points in two categories of the Green Standard - Chapter Seven: Energy Efficiency and Chapter Nine: Indoor Environmental Quality.

Within Chapter Seven: Energy Efficiency, use Lutron’s Radio Powr Savr occupancy/vacancy sensor with a compatible dimmer/switch or a Maestro wall sensor or switch to qualify for up to 5 of the 30 required points for the chapter (16%). Applicable sections within the chapter are Section 704.2.3, Lighting & Appliances: Occupancy and Motion Sensors and Section 704.2.7, Lighting & Appliances: Occupancy Sensors – Hard Wired Lighting Outlets.

Within Chapter Nine: Indoor Environmental Quality, use Lutron’s Maestro eco-timer to qualify for up to 9 of the 36 required points for the chapter (25%). The applicable section within this chapter is Section 902.1.2, Spot Ventilation.

“Occupancy sensors and timers are not only energy savers, but they offer an added level of convenience throughout the home,” said Gerard Darville, product marketing manager at Lutron. “We’re pleased to offer products that meet these important industry standards.”

The National Green Building Standard is the only residential green building rating system approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). For more information on the Standard, visit www.nahbgreen.org/Certification/ngbs.aspx