Energy Star
Behind the Walls is What Really Counts
All new homes look great from the outside. But to make sure that your next new home is truly energy efficient, it’s important to look “behind the walls.”
Homes that earn the ENERGY STAR include four “must have” features behind the walls that will make you more comfortable, reduce utility bills, and help protect the environment.
Air Sealing and Insulation That Works
Don’t pay to heat and cool the outdoors! Air leakage and improperly installed insulation can waste 20 percent or more of the energy you pay to heat and cool your home. Typical homes have so many leaks, it’s like having a window open all the time, winter and summer.
An Insulated Wall: All insulation works when
it is installed properly and has no gaps, voids, or compressed areas.
Foam being blown into a wall.
Ducts That Don’t Leak
Your home’s ducts move heated and cooled air to the living areas to make you feel comfortable. But in a typical house, 20 percent of the air that moves through the duct system is lost due to leaks, holes, and poor connections.
- Leaky duct connections
- Leaky return ducts
- Furniture blocking registers
- Leaks at furnace and air filter slot and duct tape failures
- Fallen duct insulation
- Leaky supply ducts
- Kinks in ductwork restricting airflow
Poorly Sealed Ducts: Air leaking from ducts reduces heating and cooling efficiency by up to 20 percent. Leaky ducts also let dust, moisture, pollen, pests, and noise into your home.
Behind the walls of an ENERGY STAR qualified home…
Tightly-sealed and well-insulated ducts keep you more comfortable and increase the energy efficiency of your home. Sealing also helps improve indoor air quality by reducing the risk of dust, moisture, pollen, pests, and noise from entering the ducts and circulating throughout your home.
Advanced Windows for Comfort
Windows are an important part of your home’s beauty. But in typical homes, windows made with older techniques are simply too cold in the winter and too warm in the summer — making you feel uncomfortable and wasting energy unnecessarily.
Low – e Windows
New homebuyers often spend thousands of dollars decorating their homes — from furniture and floor coverings to window treatments and artwork. Without high performance windows that block damaging ultraviolet radiation, these furnishings will fade and degrade over time.
In an ENERGY STAR qualified home…
ENERGY STAR windows, doors, and skylights keep your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, reduce moisture condensation on window panes and sills, and minimize interior fabric fading.
Independent Testing and Inspection to Ensure Quality Construction
Most builders will tell you that they build energy-efficient homes. But builders whose homes earn the ENERGY STAR back up their claims. ENERGY STAR qualified homes are inspected and tested by an independent Home Energy Rater to meet EPA’s new and more rigorous guidelines for energy efficiency.
In an ENERGY STAR qualified home…
The builder’s construction crews know that their work will be tested for performance, quality, and attention to detail. Home Energy Raters inspect insulation installation, perform tightness tests on the home’s envelope and duct system, and ensure that all energy-efficient features and equipment are properly installed in your new home.
With new and more rigorous EPA guidelines to earn the label, ENERGY STAR qualified homes are quieter and more comfortable than ever, have lower utility bills, and help protect the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Look for a home with the ENERGY STAR, the government-backed symbol for superior energy efficiency.
Energy Star Approved Builder
Standard Features
Equal Housing Opportunity
All real estate listed on this web site is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act and available on an equal opportunity basis. All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.