Helping owners save in energy-efficient homes

To earn the Energy Star designation, a new home must meet guidelines for energy efficiency set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Below is information about Energy Star, from the EPA’s www.energystar.gov Web site:

These homes are at least 15 percent more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code, and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20 to 30 percent more efficient than standard homes.

Any home three stories or less can earn the Energy Star label if it has been verified to meet EPA’s guidelines, including: single family, attached, and low-rise multi-family homes; manufactured homes; systems-built homes; log homes, concrete homes; and even existing retrofitted homes.

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 reduced air pollution:

• Effective insulation.

• High-performance windows.

• Tight construction and ducts.

• Efficient heating and cooling equipment.

• Efficient products.

• Third-party verification.