| Earning the ENERGY STAR with Coventry Log Homes |
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 | 1,824 Square Feet VT - 2010 6x8 D Logs 5 Stars Plus Rating |
What is ENERGY STAR?
ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. The ENERGY STAR label is now on over 60 product categories including major appliances, office equipment, lighting, and home electronics. The EPA has also extended the label to cover new homes and commercial and industrial buildings.
Why ENERGY STAR?
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 home, this adds up to thousands of dollars saved on utility bills. Additional savings on maintenance can also be substantial.
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, improved indoor air quality, and greater durability.
SMART INVESTMENT
To date, more than 8,500 home builders have partnered with EPA to construct more than 1 million ENERGY STAR qualified homes. The trend is clear. By choosing a home with the ENERGY STAR label, you can be confident that it will have an increasingly valued feature when the time comes to sell.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Did you know that your home can be a greater source of pollution than your car? In fact, 16 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are generated from the energy used in houses nationwide.
Energy used in our homes often comes from the burning of fossil fuels at power plants, which contributes to smog, acid rain, and other harmful effects on the environment. Simply put, the less energy we use in our homes, the less air pollution we generate.
How do I earn an ENERGY STAR rating?
ENERGY STAR Qualified Home Verification Process Overview To earn the ENERGY STAR, a home must meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), making them 20–30% more efficient than standard homes. Homes achieve this level of performance through a combination of energy–efficient improvements, including,
- Effective Insulation Systems
- High–Performance Windows
- Tight Construction and Ducts
- Efficient Heating and Cooling Equipment
- ENERGY STAR Qualified Lighting and Appliances
To ensure that a home meets ENERGY STAR guidelines, third–party verification by a certified Home Energy Rater (or equivalent) is required. This Rater works closely with the builder throughout the construction process to help determine the needed energy–saving equipment and construction techniques and conduct required on–site diagnostic testing and inspections to document that the home is eligible to earn the ENERGY STAR label.
Since the inception of the ENERGY STAR for New Homes program, the program’s requirements have evolved. Learn more about the history of the ENERGY STAR for New Homes Program.
Step 1: Builder Chooses to Partner with ENERGY STAR
Through a Partnership Agreement with EPA, a builder agrees affix an ENERGY STAR label on homes that are independently verified to meet program guidelines and to build at least one ENERGY STAR qualified home every 12 months to maintain their partnership. Through the Partnership Agreement process, the builder also selects a Home Energy Rater to work with to qualify their homes.
It is important for consumers to recognize that an ENERGY STAR builder partner does not necessarily build exclusively ENERGY STAR qualified homes. Some builder partners offer ENERGY STAR in specific home models, subdivisions or developments, or as an upgrade option. However, there are also many builders that have made a commitment to building 100% ENERGY STAR qualified homes across their entire operation and developers who require all ENERGY STAR construction in their developments.
Step 2: Builder Works with the Rater to Select Appropriate Energy–Efficient Home Features
The builder submits their architectural plans to their Home Energy Rater for review and analysis. The Rater looks for key information on the plans to help the builder choose the best combination of energy–efficient features to ensure that the home will earn the ENERGY STAR label when constructed. Some Raters rely on a prescriptive package of energy improvements developed by EPA, while others develop a customized approach for each home using specialized home energy modeling software. Learn more about the different approaches to selecting features for ENERGY STAR qualified homes.
Step 3: Builder Constructs Home and Rater Verifies Features and Performance.
With the energy–efficient features selected, the builder then proceeds with construction of the home. Throughout the construction process, the Rater performs a number of inspections and diagnostic tests to verify the proper installation of the selected energy–efficient features and overall energy performance of the home. Learn more about the home analysis and inspection process.
Step 4: Rater Qualifies the Home as ENERGY STAR and Issues an ENERGY STAR Label
After the Rater completes the final inspection and determines that all requirements have been met, the Rater will provide the builder with an ENERGY STAR label, which is placed on the circuit breaker box of the home. This label provides the homeowner with documentation that the home is ENERGY STAR qualified, and includes the home address, builder name, Rater name, and date verified. Some builders may also provide a paper certificate or copy of the Home Energy Rating report.
Information taken from www.energystar.gov
