9-Oct-07 4:00 PM CST

First Casa Concept Home Passes ENERGY STAR Certification

Can you aspire to owning an Energy efficient home? DO

Our first Casa Concept home is an ENERGY STAR certified home. It's a new world of home construction and design, the world of Green Building, Sustainable Design and Energy Efficient Construction . What does this all mean? Stay informed with Casa Concept. Does it apply to all homes? Absolutely. Where do you begin? Follow our guideline step by step below. What do you gain? For starters anything from a tax credit to an Energy Efficient Mortgage rate, to up to 50% savings in your utility bills.

Can home remodels be Energy Star certified? The answer is yes, but that goal has to come up early in the process of design and construction. The plans and specifications have to be reviewed by a certified HERS rating company, and the plans have to be put through a software analysis for energy consumption. This has to be done before anything is done on the house. Once construction begins the rater will conduct site inspections that will verify that the construction follows specifications and plans. The last of the steps is to put the finished house through an air leakeage test, in order to certify that it passes the minimum requierements to become Energy Star certified.

Many home developers have committed to building Energy Star homes,at all price ranges in the market. It's due time they do, because the burden of having to pay large energy bills due to energy inefficient homes disproportionally affects the lower and middle income homeowner. If developers can build tight enough houses, then you should be able to tell your remodeler that remodeling your home as Energy Star is a non-negotiable standard, and that the burden is on him/her.

The truth is that in any construction project, be it new home or home remodel, it is you -the homeowner- who is responsible for everything that happens in the project. Arguably, it shouldn't be because you have hired a contractor to guarantee that you will end up happy, but the buck always stops with you! This is most definitely true when it comes to setting the goal and standard for your project as an Energy Star project:

1- It has to be your personal goal to make your house an Energy Star home.

2- This goal has to be clearly stated to the architect/designer and contractor/subcontractor in order for all parties to make the right decisions early in the design and specification process.

3- Know that there is a cost associated with this certification process. Don't assume the contractor should include it in his price. Assume that you will see the cost in a line item as soft costs.

4- Also know that implementation of Energy Star requirements, such as double insulated windows, or tightly sealing thresholds under all exterior doors, are more expensive than their inefficient counterpart.

5- Ask your contractor early for a preliminary schedule of certification steps, and ask to be informed when they are scheduled and the results.

6- Ask for the certificate at the end of the process and keep in your home files.

If developers can reach Energy Star, so can you! If you're even thinking about it, it's because you'd rather have a well built, energy efficient home, than throw away money every month in large energy bills. Be sure to e-mail us if you have questions about the process. We are committed to Sustainable design developments and to informing you on how you can make a difference.

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