Certified High Performance (CHiP) Home Program

The green home certification program of the High Performance Building Council of the BIA of Central SC is the Certified High Performance (CHiP) Home Program. This program is based on the ANSI-approved National Green Building Standard™ (ICC 700-2012). The first certification was awarded on April 24, 2012 and there are now over 8,400 CHiP Homes.

In the CHiP Home Program the house is certified, not the builder. Each house has to reach minimums across seven different areas to qualify for the certification. The builder has flexibility in how to reach each of these goals, which lends to affordability and ease of use. However, the work must be checked by a third-party verifier before the home is certified.

What Do Building Certification Programs Do?

Building certification programs like our CHiP Home Program exist to promote sustainable practices and changes to our built environment that bring our buildings into and/or closer into balance with the limits of our natural resources and planet’s ecosystems. They also give builders and consumers easy-to-follow guidelines and checklists to accomplish that goal on every build project.

Why Should I Buy a CHiP Home?

The answer to this question varies from person to person.

Most people, whether they are building professionals or owners involved in the construction of a new home, use certification programs for help in the design process to ensure that they are considering and incorporating all the design and building principles appropriate to their home.

Some, whether occupants or building professionals, are looking for scientific testing and an independent, third-party verification that their home is achieving green standards.

Some seek certification as they believe it will be of value economically through reduced operations and maintenance costs and/or because a healthier indoor environment should translate to better health.

Many feel that incorporating high-performance building practices are important to the health of our planet and to future generations.

Learn More About CHiP

To learn more about the program please visit CHiPHomeProgram.com or call (803) 256-6238. At the website you’ll be able to see a map of homes in the program, download the CHiP Verification Tool, see builders who have built to the program and more.