What Qualifies a Home as ENERGY STAR Certified?
ENERGY STAR qualified homes can include a variety of "tried-and-true" energy-efficient features that contribute to improved home quality and homeowner comfort, and to lower energy demand and reduce air pollution.
To earn the ENERGY STAR, a home must meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These homes are at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC), and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20-30% more efficient than standard homes. Components of a typical ENERGY STAR qualified home include:
- Effective Insulation
- High Performance Windows
- Tight Construction and Ducts
- Efficient Heating and Cooling Equipment
- Efficient Products
- Third-Party Verification
How Can You Benefit from Purchasing an ENERGY STAR Qualified Home?
Lower Ownership Cost
Compared with standard homes, ENERGY STAR qualified homes use substantially less energy for heating, cooling and water heating — delivering $200 to $400 in annual savings. Over the average 7 to 8 years you may live in your new home, this adds up to thousands of dollars saved on utility bills. Additional savings on maintenance can also be substantial. Financing the home purchase using an energy efficient mortgage is also an option.
Better Performance
Properly installed energy-efficient improvements deliver better protection against cold, heat, drafts, moisture, pollution and noise. An energy-efficient home helps ensure consistent temperatures between and across rooms, improves indoor air quality and provides greater durability.
Smart Investment
To date, more than 5,000 homebuilders have partnered with EPA to construct more than 840,000 ENERGY STAR qualified homes. By the end of the decade, more than 2 million homes are expected to earn the ENERGY STAR. The trend is clear. By choosing a new home withe the ENERGY STAR label, you can be confident that it will have an increasingly valued feature when the time comes to sell.
Environmental Protection
Energy used in our homes often comes from the burning of fossil fuels at power plants, which contributes to smog, acid rain and global climate change. Simply put, the less energy we use in our homes, the less air pollution we generate.
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