ENERGY STAR: What Is It? How Do You Get It? What is Its Impact On The Environment?
ENERGY STAR: What Is It? How Do You Get It? What is Its Impact On The Environment?
What is it?
ENERGY STAR® is a program governed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE). Its goal is to help consumers, businesses, and industries save money and protect the environment by using energy-efficient products and practices. The ENERGY STAR label identifies top-performing, cost-effective products, homes, and buildings. Today, we’ll focus on residential new construction for both single and multifamily homes.
If you build it they will come…Single-family, multifamily, and manufactured (factory-built) homes are all eligible to earn the ENERGY STAR label when independently verified to meet the program’s rigorous requirements for energy efficiency. These requirements are customized for each housing type and tailored to the specific climate where the home is built.
- Over 2.2 million ENERGY STAR certified new homes and apartments have been built to date, with more than 120,000 in 2020 alone.
- ENERGY STAR certified homes and apartments are at least 10% more energy efficient than those built to code and achieve a 20% improvement on average while providing homeowners and residents with better quality, performance, and comfort.
- EPA continues to advance its ENERGY STAR Residential New Construction Program requirements as more rigorous building energy codes are developed and adopted by States. energystar.gov/newhomes.
Features and benefits of an Energy Star certified new homes:
High-efficiency heating and cooling
Complete thermal enclosure
Water protection system
Efficient lighting and appliances
Independent Inspections and testing
Steps to get your homes Energy Star certified:
- Submit an online application to Energy Star to become a partner.
- Ensure your HVAC Contractor has the ACCA QA credential required to work on ENERGY STAR Projects by searching here: hvac-contractors.acca.org/qa-contractors. If they do not hold the QA credentials then your HERS Rater will need to perform extra inspections of the HVAC System known as HVAC Grading.
- Hire a HERS Rater like Performance Point to work with your plans and specs to help you achieve the energy efficiency requirements of ENERGY STAR. This step involves creating an energy model of your home(s) to test different tradeoffs. When this step is complete you’ll know exactly what your trades need to do.
- During the build, qualified energy raters inspect for ENERGY STAR requirements and conduct tests for energy efficiency and code compliance on all parts of the home.
- Before sheetrock is hung, Performance Point will conduct visual inspections of insulation, air barriers, air sealing, ductwork, and other details. Sometimes duct leakage testing can be performed before sheetrock.
- After sheetrock, several other trips will take place to test various aspects of the envelope, HVAC, and collect information on lighting and appliances.
- A full-service building performance contractor like Performance Point can even help provide complementary services like air sealing and insulated attic pull-down covers like this one.
- Energy Star also requires the management of water in and around the house, as outlined in the ENERGY STAR builder partner presentation from Step 1. These measures are largely up to the builder to implement and ensure, but Performance Point or your HERS Rater can help clarify requirements here if there are questions during construction and planning.
- Receiving the Energy Star label acknowledges that your home has met stringent requirements set by the EPA and gives your client peace of mind. Performance Point will issue an ENERGY STAR label for your home after the final inspection is completed and the Rater has determined all program requirements have been satisfied. This may take up to a week for the final modeling to be complete and have the certificate emailed.
Energy Star’s impact on the environment…..The main feature of Energy Star is energy efficiency. Simply put, energy efficiency means using less energy to get the same job done – and in the process, cutting energy bills and reducing pollution. Many products, homes, and buildings use more energy than they actually need through inefficiencies and energy waste. Productive usage of energy is one of the easiest ways to eliminate energy waste and lower energy costs. It is also one of the most cost-effective ways to combat climate change, keep the air we breathe clean, help families meet their budgets, and help businesses improve their bottom lines through rebates and tax incentives. Not to mention, the construction details required by ENERGY STAR also reduce obsolescence, make the house more comfortable, and improve indoor air quality.
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Posted in Construction