November 19, 2009 | The Environment

Energy Star Homes Reach Million Mark

The Environmental Protection Agency announced that the millionth home qualified for its Energy Star rating on Nov. 10. Energy Star homes tend to be at least 15% more energy efficient than regular homes.

Since the program began in 1995, Americans have saved $1.2 billion on their energy bills and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 22 billion pounds, EPA said. The guidelines for an Energy Star home include efficient heating and lighting, insulation systems and high performance windows. An independent home energy rater conducts on-site to make sure the home meets the EPA’s requirements. More than 6,500 builders across the United States build homes that qualify for the Energy Star program.

The EPA also released a list of the top 20 cities for Energy Star homes. The Houston area topped the list with 144, 420 homes built, followed by the Dallas, Las Vegas and Phoenix regions.

AUTHOR: Annette Hulbert

One Response to “Energy Star Homes Reach Million Mark”

Posted by Marlene on November 19th, 2009 at 10:02 AM

I can confirm these savings because I live in an ENERGY STAR QUALIFIED home and am saving money every month in my utility & water bill. I went from an almost 300 dollar utility bill to an 80.00 dollar bill with my new ENERGY STAR QUALIFIED home. My home is environmentally friendly, more comfortable then standard built homes. My property is the first and only ENERGY STAR QUALIFIED home it may cost a little more then your standard built homes but am saving money for the rest of the years that I live in it. Environmentally homes is the only way to go. You definetly pay for what you get.