Third-party approval could help sell green-remodeled homes.

Currently, there is no national third-party rating system for home remodels similar to the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes program. But many say there is a market for one.

“The existing housing stock is probably where the largest impact can be made in addressing global warming,” says Tom Kelly, president and CEO of the Neil Kelly Co.

In March, the American Society of Interior Designers Foundation and USGBC launched new guidelines for residential green remodeling. Homeowners cannot currently obtain a rating for following the new “REGREEN” guidelines, which address the major elements of green renovations, including site, water efficiency, energy, air quality, atmosphere, materials and resources.

Jeff King, a construction company owner who has been remodeling houses in San Francisco using green building principles for many years, says green homes sell “instantly” in San Francisco.

King is member of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) and a certified builder/remodeler through Build It Green, a Bay Area organization that connects homeowners and building professionals around green building practices. Both Build It Green and NARI offer home remodeling certifications, but King says he doesn’t think homeowners can recapture the costs of certification unless they are undergoing whole-house renovations. He adds that if the value of the certification could be equated based on the house’s green features, it would be very valuable in San Francisco’s housing market, which has a huge volume of old housing stock.

“For every 1,000 watts of power in home that’s coming from PV, it adds $20,000 to the resale value of your home, allowing you to carry an additional $20,000 of debt,” King says. “How does that play out in types of heating systems, windows, finishes you install?”