“Energy Star” is a program that was created by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1992. It allows homes that meet
certain, strict qualifications for promoting environmental sustainability to be
certified as “Energy Star” homes. These homes are eligible for certain tax
breaks and other benefits. Plus, they enable homeowners to feel good about the
fact that they’re reducing the size of their carbon footprints. Some of the
requirements for having an Energy Star certified home include
Measure Up Against
the Checklist
First things first, understand that, before your home can be
certified, it will have to be evaluated by an EPA representative. This
representative will evaluate your home against the Energy Star quality
assurance checklist. Fortunately, you can request the checklist as it applies
to your area from your local EPA branch. Go over it and work hard to meet the
guidelines before you request an inspection or, even better yet, before your
home is built, keeping in mind that you must meet all of them exactly in order
to obtain certification.
Communicate with Your
Builder
As mentioned, the best time to create an Energy Star home is
from the get-go. It’s much easier to just have an Energy Star home built than
it is to have to modify an existing home to meet the organization’s standards.
Make sure you let your builder know that you are aiming for an Energy Star home
and that he or she understands all the conditions that the home must meet in
order to qualify. Even better yet, work with a certified, experienced builder
of Energy Star homes in your area; these professionals have a lot of experience
and know-how in creating Energy Star homes because they’ve done so before.
Consider the Benefits
If you’re on the fence about whether or not you should build
an Energy Star home, consider all of the awesome benefits! Not only will you
likely be eligible for certain tax breaks, but you can also enjoy a massive
savings on your utility bills since these homes are designed to be highly
energy efficient. Your home will also be more comfortable since draftiness,
leaks, and other issues aren’t suitable for Energy Star homes. While Energy Star homes do tend to require
more of an investment upfront than typical homes, they pay off in the long run.
In the end, only you can decide whether going the “Energy
Star” route is right for you or not, but at the very least, give it some
thought!
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