NAHB updates water efficiency matrix, a sales tool for Home Depot teams

NAHB updated its Water Efficiency Rating Matrix on June 22, giving Home Depot teams a cleaner way to talk through water efficiency with Pro customers, remodelers, and sustainability-minded homeowners. The matrix lays out how certification programs differ on scope, requirements, applicability, and cost, which makes it easier to steer customers toward the right project path.

What the update changes

The update reflects the new ICC 700 National Green Building Standard, updated EPA WaterSense standards for indoor plumbing, and stronger irrigation controls. The framework still keeps Bronze through Emerald certification levels in place, so the basic structure builders already know did not disappear even as the technical requirements shifted.

The most useful change for store teams is that the Water Rating Index can be pursued on its own, separate from NGBS Green certification. The score compares a property’s total indoor and outdoor water use against a code-minimum baseline, which gives builders a way to talk about water performance without committing to a full certification package. The 2025 NGBS also allows WRI to be used for both new and existing buildings, which matters when a customer is pricing a retrofit instead of a ground-up build.

How it changes the sales conversation

On the floor, water efficiency is about whether the customer is trying to meet a project spec, avoid a costly change order, or give a buyer a documented reason to value the upgrade. The matrix can help builders communicate water use to investors, prospective buyers or renters, and local officials, and that makes it especially relevant in drought-prone or water-scarce markets where water use is part of the pitch.

Under EPA WaterSense standards, WaterSense-labeled products are at least 20 percent more water efficient than average products in their category while performing as well as or better than regular models. WaterSense-labeled homes must include labeled plumbing products, be free of wasteful leaks, and be at least 30 percent more water-efficient than typical new construction.

When a pro customer asks what helps them meet a green objective, the answer is not just one product line. It might be a WaterSense-labeled fixture, an irrigation-control upgrade, or a broader certification approach tied to the home’s water-use profile.

How the fees break down

The matrix puts real numbers next to the paths customers are weighing. The PDF version lists $200 per home for whole-project certification in single-family projects, $50 per home or $100 per multifamily building when WRI is pursued independently, and $75 per single-family project for EPA WaterSense v2, with a $49 fee in New Mexico.

A remodeler working on one house may want the cheapest credible route to a documented water-efficiency claim. A multifamily builder may care more about a per-building structure. A custom-home customer may be willing to spend more if the certification improves the sales story, the appraisal conversation, or the owner’s long-term utility costs.

The NGBS is updated every three years. Home Innovation Research Labs lists more than 600,000 Green Certified Homes, and NGBS Green certification is recognized by federal, state, and local agencies, lenders, the Appraisal Institute, and code officials.

Where Home Depot teams can use it

The matrix gives associates in plumbing, bath, and irrigation a reason to ask better questions before recommending a product. A customer who says they want “efficient” may actually need one of three different things: a WaterSense-labeled product, an independent WRI score, or a full NGBS Green path.

The most useful questions are the ones that separate those goals quickly:

• Is this a new build or an existing building?

• Are you chasing WRI on its own or full NGBS Green certification?

• Is the bigger issue utility cost, a green-building spec, or water scarcity in the market?

• Do you need indoor plumbing upgrades, irrigation controls, or both?

That kind of questioning saves time for Pro customers, who often want a fast answer that fits a bid package. It also helps remodelers explain to homeowners why one product choice does more than another, especially when the customer is weighing performance against long-term operating costs.

How Home Depot fits in

Home Depot frames water conservation as part of its business, not a side project. It partners with WaterSense to promote the manufacturing and sale of water-efficient products, and Home Depot says that partnership has helped save 250 billion gallons of water. That gives associates a company-backed foundation for talking about efficiency without sounding like they are improvising.

Home Depot’s Pro Xtra is free, elite status starts at $25,000 in annual spend, and Path to Pro offers skills training. For store leaders, that combination makes water-efficiency knowledge a concrete service advantage: the associate who can connect a product recommendation to a certification goal, a utility bill concern, or a bid requirement is doing more than selling a SKU.