Open standard

Changelog

The standard evolves in the open. Releases are ratified by the GreenHome Institute and tracked below; every individual requirement carries its own complete change history in the public repository — look for the "Change history" link on any requirement page.

Recent requirement changes

The live feed is unavailable right now — browse the full commit history on GitHub.

Changes on the main branch are proposals-in-progress; a change is part of the certifiable standard only when the Institute ratifies it into a release below.

Release history

Two levels of history live in this repository:

  • This file tracks the standard at the release level — the versioned

manual editions the GreenHome Institute publishes and certifies against.

  • Per-credit history: every requirement is one file under standard/, so a

credit's complete change history is its git log. Each requirement file links

to its own history at the bottom, or browse any file's History on GitHub.

Changes merged into main between releases are proposals-in-progress; a change

is part of the certifiable standard only when the Institute publishes it in a

manual release below.

Manual v4 — current (last revised 2023-05-02)

The edition this repository reflects: 54 requirements across 5 pillars, 4

certification levels (Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum), and 16 optional

achievement badges. Notable characteristics of the v4 era:

  • Tier-stepped requirements (single requirements whose stringency rises by level)
  • Achievement badges expanded to 16, including GHI Zero Energy and GHI Zero

Carbon recognitions

  • Electrification and embodied-carbon reductions required at Gold and Platinum

*2026-08-16 — this repository opened: the full v4 text published as forkable

markdown with public issues and pull requests.*

Manual v3

The edition in force circa 2021–2022 (e.g., the Gross Residence and Bradford

Station certifications). Detailed v3→v4 differences to be backfilled by the

Institute.

Manual v2

The edition in force circa 2019–2020, including the first-ever GreenStar

multifamily certification (1533 W Superior Street, Chicago). Detailed history

to be backfilled by the Institute.

Earlier

The GreenStar Homes program predates this repository's records. Corrections

and additions to this history are welcome — open an issue or PR.