In order to qualify as an ENERGY STAR home, your home must meet minimum requirements, be verified, and field tested in accordance with the standards of RESNET by an accredited Provider.
Homes must meet standards such as: Thermal Bypass Inspection Checklist, ductwork leakage of equal to or less than 6 cfm to outdoors; meet criteria for the amount of ENERGY STAR products within the home. There are certain ENERGY STAR scoring exceptions within the program.
Important to work closely with your builder and the accredited Provider to obtain your ENERGY STAR qualification.
But even if you are not ready to meet all the qualifications of “Energy Star Certified” there are several areas you can still make improvements on in your home to see savings.
Before getting started on your home performance work, you may want to learn more about how to get the most out of your investment. Home Performance with ENERGY STAR offers a whole-house approach. Rather than focusing on a single problem, like an old heating or cooling system, not enough insulation in the attic, or leaky windows, our participating contractors look at how improvements throughout your home can work together to give you the best results. Such as:
- Sealing air leaks and adding insulation
- Improve Heating and Cooling Systems
- Sealing Ductwork
- Replacing Windows
- Upgrading Lighting, Appliances, Water Heating Equipment
- Installing Renewable Energy Systems
Follow these important guidelines to help ensure your energy efficiency investments pay off – not only by lowering your utility bills, but also by improving your comfort, enhancing indoor air quality, and ensuring safety.
Your participating Home Performance with ENERGY STAR contractor will conduct diagnostic tests, such as blower door and combustion safety tests, before and after the work is completed.
If you are not ready to perform all of the recommendations provided by your contractor, choose to make energy improvements in a logical order because they can affect one another. For instance, in most houses the attic floor should be air sealed before installing attic insulation because it will prevent warm, moist air from migrating through the insulation. Moisture in your attic insulation can reduce its performance and potentially cause mold, roof rot, or ice dams to form on your roof.
Ask your participating contractor about their plans for addressing combustion safety, indoor air quality, and moisture when making your energy improvements.
The quality of the installation is at least as important as the quality of the equipment and materials. Your participating contractor should be committed to following all manufacturer installation guidelines for insulation, heating and cooling equipment, and other components.
After you’ve made improvements, make sure to follow the maintenance requirements suggested by your contractor and the equipment manufacturer.
