Are you in the market for a new house and are interested in…
- Peace of mind?
- Lower ownership cost?
- Better performance?
- A wise investment?
- Less dusting and cleaner air?
- Increased year around comfort?
If you answered “Yes!” to any of those questions, you should consider purchasing an ENERGY STAR labeled & built home.
Peace of mind:
As you already know, or about to find out, the home buying process is complex enough without you worrying about all the little details that go into it. When you are looking for or designing the house of your dreams you can gain some peace of mind by specifying that it is an ENERGY STAR rated home. Once you see the label, you know that it has met or exceeded the energy efficiency guidelines of the program and that it has been independently verified by a certified Home Energy Rater.
Lower ownership cost:
Compared with standard homes, ENERGY STAR qualified homes use substantially less energy for heating, cooling, and water heating – delivering on average $200 to $400 in annual savings. Over the average 7 to 8 years you may live in your home, this can easily adds up to thousands of dollars saved on utility bills.
Better performance:
One of the main advantages of an ENERGY STAR home is having a properly sized AC system. This will reduce the short cycling times common with oversized units which in turn helps keep the indoor humidity levels where they should be allowing one to feel more comftrable. This also helps to ensure consistent temperatures between and across rooms, improved indoor air quality, and greater durability. Adding everything together and you now have a house that gives you better protection against the cold, heat, drafts, moisture, pollution, noise, and rising energy prices.
A wise investment:
I am sure, you might have seen a few reports on the increased value of a house that is “green”, but does that really matter to you? It might be when you go to sell it, but in the mean time you get to enjoy the better performance, increased comfort, and lower utility bills now. It is easier and cheaper to install all these features now, as compared to after the fact.
Less dusting & cleaner air:
Did you know that your home can be a greater source of pollution than your car? When your builder built the home he had certain standards he had to meet, which included sealing up the ducts (preventing dust from the attic or crawlspace in), air sealing the envelope properly (preventing air from being pulled in through the fiberglass, cellulose, crawl space or attics) and many other items. By doing this and having it verified by an independent third party rater, you have helped not only eliminate outdoor contaiments from getting but created a means of getting indoor containments out.
If you have a child with Asthma, or would like to take it up a notch, make sure the building is also “indoor air PLUS®” verified. The indoor air PLUS system is only available on qualified ENERGY STAR homes and also requires an independent Third Party Rater. We are also a certified indoor air PLUS Rater.
Increased year around comfort:
A home that is properly airsealed will help prevent hot, humid outside air from leaking in while keeping the cool, conditioned air inside during the summer. In the winter, the reverse holds true as the cold, dry exterior air stays outside and the nice warm air stays indoors.
