For Designers

ENERGY STAR® Homes

Any home three stories or less can earn the ENERGY STAR label if it has been verified to meet the Environmental Protection Agency's guidelines for energy efficiency. This includes site-constructed as well as manufactured homes, single or low-rise multi-family residential buildings, new as well as retrofitted homes.

The ENERGY STAR label does not only increase the value of a home in the eyes of homeowners and homebuyers, there are also several State and utility programs across the country that assist builders and contractors with planning, implementing, and financing the energy efficiency measures that can qualify homes for the ENERGY STAR.

Energy-efficient windows are one of the measures needed to earn the ENERGY STAR label for homes. Depending on whether the National Builder Option Package or the National Performance Path are chosen to qualify a home for the ENERGY STAR, windows are either required to meet specific performance thresholds or their performance characteristics are factored into a comprehensive home energy simulation.

• National Builder Option Package - A range of home features (including windows), inspected by an independent home energy rater, must comply with specific energy-performance criteria;
• National Performance Path - A home energy use simulation, conducted by an independent home energy rater and taking into account the performance of features across the house, must show energy-efficient home performance.

More than ENERGY STAR
Opportunity for LEED certification: Homes that are ENERGY STAR qualified may merit even more recognition: ENERGY STAR qualification is one of the preconditions for a home to become certified as a sustainable home by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Homes that exceed the criteria for ENERGY STAR Homes by certain levels and are built according to sustainability standards have a good chance of receiving a prestigious LEED certification.

Federal tax credit for energy efficient home construction: Builders can claim a tax credit of $2,000 for highly efficient new homes. To qualify, a home must be constructed so that its simulated energy consumption for heating and cooling is 50 percent below that of a comparable home built according to the minimum standards of the 2004 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Although this requirement is far more stringent than the qualification requirements for ENERGY STAR Homes, builders and designers can benefit from their experience with ENERGY STAR Homes in designing highly efficient homes that qualify for the tax credit.
Learn more about designing for this Federal tax credit.»