I don't know if it is national, but where we are they measure the house for air infiltration. Appliances had nothing to do with it, they do the measuring before appliances are even in. It's all about what it would (in theory) cost to heat and cool the house. We were given guidelines to follow to have the house meet the standards. We followed them but never did they final testing because there are no tax breaks in our state for certification, so paying for the testing would be a waste of money.

Partway down in link to the EPA's rating portfolio. To become Energy Star, your house must meet at least 75 of the possible 100 points.

One point regarding the "waste of money" for certification is simply that with today's rising energy cost, any house that actually has the Energy Star certification is far more valuable in both short- and long-term views. Few people will buy a non-certified house if there is a similar one that IS certified.

Here is a link that might be useful: Energy Star

Meldy,
I have NEVER seen a house advertised in our area as being ES certified. It just isn't done. We also built our house for us. I don't think anyone in 2030 will care about a house being certified in 2003.

Sue36~ you are right, Energy Star houses are rarely advertised here. I asked a neighbor about that, and she just laughed and said ES houses sold so fast there wasn't any need to advertise. I dunno about that, but she's a multi-million$ realtor.

And it's an interesting point about the crystal ball's comparative future value of 25-year old houses. If you look at the requirements for ES rating, most of them show desirable comparative values for *today* -- people are becoming more and more savvy about the economic advantages and I suspect that value will increase [or decrease] in direct relation to the cost of energy. A house built even in the recent past [70's, or the same 25 years in hindsight] rarely cared about the energy cost -- crude oil cost about $3 per barrel. That's a big difference from the present $126+ cost!!! And now that energy is so much more expensive, people are realizing that the measures taken to qualify for Energy Star really do matter.

An Energy Star rating isn't a guarantee that its house will be better insulated or cost less to heat/cool than the one next door, but it IS a sign that it was planned for a smaller impact on natural resources, and that almost inevitably means it will be less expensive to run, now and twenty-five years from now. Some people will care, and some won't.

Down where I am in NC, ES wasn't real common although some people doing custom houses would insist on it. Now it's become WAY more popular. Builders are routinely offering to do it.

My friend's husband is one of only 2 inspectors certified in our state to determine whether a home is 50% or more energy efficient.

The Home Energy Rating Status (HERS) is used to qualify homes for the $2,000 tax credit. The homes are checked for proper insulation after framing, serial numbers are taken off appliances, furnace & water heaters to make sure they match efficiency standards.

Every light socket is checked; half of all sockets must use the CFL bulbs. The heating and cooling systems are checked;all joints are checked to verify they were sealed with a flexible mastic.

A thermal camera takes "photographs" of the home that shows hot and cold spots. If the house passes the test, it receives a certificate and a seal which helps boost it's value.

P.S. The tax credit expires this December but the US House has renewed the incentive and the bill is awaiting action in the Senate.

Meldy,

You are in VA? I am in Maine and also lived in Mass. Very few people here have even heard of ES certification, including the realtors. I find it highly unlikely the ES houses are selling so fast they never make it to the MLS listing or any other listings. The tax credit didn't exist when we built and there are no state tax credits where we are. The only ES person we could find was an hours drive from us, in another state (a state that has a tax credit program). We paid $250 for the "plan" and would have had to pay (if I recall correctly) $500-700 for the inspection and report if we had done the blower door.

Not being a realtor, I personally have no idea as to why one doesn't see ES listings as such. I simply quoted what a realtor friend said, and she could have easily been joking except that she's not a joking person when it comes to her business. However, at first hand, my neighborhood is transitioning, with older homes being either replaced or extensively remodeled, and the ES houses have sold rapidly, whereas two non-ES houses have been available for almost a year. The ES houses also sold for a very hefty amount more than similar non-ES houses.

I do know that the inspection process is time-consuming and seems expensive -- OTOH, the cost is passed on to the buyer! And the buyer recoups with the energy savings as compared to equivalent housing. Or, even if one is an owner with no intention of re-sale, then consider that the ES inspection --which will have a positive effect on the house's upkeep expense for many years-- actually costs the same (or less) than the front door for that house. One doesn't become a member of HERS or Resnet without considerable knowledge and experience, and I think it's fair to pay at least as much for the use of that knowledge as for the front door.

Actually, when you look at the ES requirements, they aren't unusual, unique, or weird. There is a high emphasis on 'tight' building -- and really, who actually wants to build something that is unnecessarily wasteful? I mean, who really wants to pay $400 per month for AC if they could have the same comfort for $40 or even $100 per month?! And there are requirements to use appliances that are ES-rated -- and again, given a choice between two dishwashers of similar quality, why would anyone choose one that takes more energy to perform?

I suspect the truth is that the ES rating is not so important for those who are already aware of benefits of good building practices, but instead it's value is that it draws the attention of all those many folks who know nothing about energy conservation.

Thank you for your responses. I'm shocked to hear that Energy Star Certification is not a big deal in other parts of the country. Where we are building (in Asheville, NC) it is definitely the norm. In fact 5 out of 6 builders we interviewed would not even consider building for us if we didn't agree to build "green." By the way in Asheville even rental property advertises their Energy Star qualities. It is a real big deal here.

People out in Boulder, CO, and the Pacific Northwest are also shocked to hear that everyone doesn't build "green". You'd probably be shocked to find out that your neighbor in Asheville smokes pot on the weekends. Don't get me wrong, I love Asheville, but it's not your typical American town. The streets are paved with granola.

bdpeck- I was just reading, thinking how exactly I wanted to phrase my thoughts, when I got to your post I could not help but smile a bit. You said much better than I could. I live near Hickory, and Asheville is one of my favorite places to go visit. It is an absolutely beautiful city, but going from anywhere else in Western NC to Asheville is a complete culture shock. Even as near by as Hickory/Morganton, Energy Star is not a big deal. ES is like anything else, it's a nice feature to have, but for most people, it simply isn't going to make up for other items that a buyer wants, and as of right now, it certainly isn't going to fetch you alot more money. (Unless you are in Asheville, NC and similar cities.) So Amy, if it is not a tremendous added expense, go for it, since you are in an area where it matters.

Oh let me clarify. I'm not shocked at the fact that Asheville is green or "granola" or pot smoking for that matter. These are the reasons we are moving there...the green and granola, not the pot smoking! I'm shocked that the rest of the country doesn't think it is a big deal.

Interesting that it's very popular in areas in different parts of the state. I'm in the Charlotte area and ES is NEVER mentioned!

The tax credit is Federal, not State.

The HERS scores for a whole house meant next to nothing to anyone until the Fed waived the $2k credit to builders.

What's the purpose? It gets the builder at least ~thinking~ about putting the house together better. It adds one more trained, independent inspection to the process. The cost of installing extra/different material is passed on to the buyer anyway and the cost of the inspection is only a fraction of the credit the builder receives. It's a win-win in the building process, but the net effect won't necessarily land you a more valuable home. It might be less drafty and easier to heat & cool, but it's hard to say anyone would pay more for it. Then again, if a buyer is on the fence, every little bit helps.

We're in Chapel Hill and it's definitely becoming a big deal here too-most of the new subdivisions are "green" and advertise that fact extensively

Remember, "green" is not regulated or defined. Just like "Light" foods years ago. Thanks to carbon offsets, a coal burning power plant can be "green" just by planting trees in Brazil. If someone claims to be "green", ask what specifically they do that's so "green". All the tract homes being built that barely meet code are also "green" compared to homes built 30 years ago... I-Joists, OSB and LVLs are all "green" products using new growth trees.

Our plan is to insulate with foam and install high efficiency HVAC equipment for our own benefit - lower bills. At re-sale, we won't put Energy Star in our listing, we'll publish our electric and gas bills as part of our flyers. It won't push up the price, it will make the sale come faster... and time is money.

Exactly what bd said!! ALOT of builders are 'claiming' they are building 'green' and charge MORE when they are just barely building over code. Do your homework...extensively.....and go in and 'make' them show your exactly 'how' they are making their houses 'green'....Unfortunately......probably 98% of home buyers would just take what the builder said as 'fact' because they have NO clue. The builders count on this!

I assume that pattiem93 was using "green" as a euphemism for Energy Star or Earthcraft certified (heck, maybe even LEED). Hopefully folks are starting to get a touch more savvy about looking for those programs than just a generic statement.

The great state of Texas is having a tax free weekend on energy star appliances below $2000 purchased through Memorial Day. At 8.25% that could be a hefty savings.

I'd like to know why I have to pay more taxes because someone uses the proper insulation in their home. Remember, any tax credit is simply a means for the government to influence your daily life. If you accept one, they'll give you three more. Government never does with less. If they let you keep more of your money for doing one thing, they'll take it back somewhere else.

If it's reasonable for you to get this certification, then do it. But don't confuse a tax credit as something from the government. It's less of a penalty, and WILL be recouped from your neighbor in the form of increased taxes.

ncamy, I'm not sure you're still looking for Energy Star information, but I too am building in Asheville and am going to have it energy star certified. It does not matter about your stove. Apparently there aren't any energy star stoves anyway (per appliance salesman). Just stick with all energy star appliances you can get and you'll be fine. It's really a simple process. Other than making sure you have the correct appliances and a high enough rated HVAC system, you're good to go. You just have to make sure your builder is doing his job right more or less. We're going with low-e/argon windows (a cost of $500 total extra) and an additional $1000 for our heat pump (it's going to be dual zoned and 14 seer i think). other than that it's $900 for a third party to come out and inspect (i think 3 or 4 times) and do one of those blower tests and that's it. You don't even need to do argon gas, we just opted for it. so really it's only costing us $1900 to have it certified and trust me, it's well worth it for your monthly bills and when you go to sell.

Which street in montford are you building on? I know the area like the back of my hand. My wife and I both went to UNCA. We just sold (i close tomorrow the 8th of Aug.) our montford house (it's on the out skirts of montford down Hill St.). It was an Energy star house built in 2003.

We break ground on the 15th of Aug. in West Asheville. We're sort of doing this as an investment so we can afford another house in the Montford area again. We're looking at two lots right now on West Chestnut. I'm assuming you know that street, eh?

Feel free to ask any more questions.

Actually our building lot isn't in Montford, although we did look at many lots there. Our lot is in St Dunstan's which is also designated historical. A lot of people haven't ever heard of it because it's basically this tiny little neighborhood tucked in between Biltmore, McDowell and Mission Hospital. Where are you building in West Asheville? We're living in a rental in West Asheville until the new house is built. It may be a long time though because we can't even start until the house in Charlotte is sold.

One more Energy Star question...What about ceiling fans and light fixtures? So far I haven't found any ES rated ceiling fans that I like. Is that a deal killer? I've kinda fallen in love with a fan from Mica Lamp Company.

I think you're taking the "Energy Star" label too literally. Try to think of it instead like a weight watchers diet plan...if you gorge at lunch, eat less at dinner. Same thing applies here...enough "good" will counteract a few "bad." (Although I don't think that a ceiling fan rating should in any case be considered good or bad...non-insulated cans are another story.) So, no, it is not a deal killer to have a non-ES rated ceiling fan or appliance or any other fixture. You must, however, use efficient building materials.

dixiedoodle is right. don't worry about ceiling fans. It's sort of a point system, you can make points up in other areas. They tell me you even get credit for CFL's!

I know where St. Dunstans is, we tried to buy an old fixer-upper there. Some of them have really nice views, eh?