Looking for a Home with Low Energy Bills?

Posted on November 14, 2008 by Joyce Benson
Tag(s): Energy, Green Building, Greening the Home

Who doesn’t want to save energy and pay lower utility bills? Some new home builders comply with a program set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency called Energy Star. These homes include energy-saving features that typically make them 20–30% more efficient than standard homes.

Parkwood Homes builds to meet Energy Star standards, as well as to the tenets of New Urbanism which promotes the creation and restoration of compact, walkable, mixed-use cities and towns. Its townhomes, single-family homes and live/work homes at the Villages of Urbana, Maryland are priced from the mid $400,000s.

All of its semi-custom homes are Energy Star certified with efficient home heating, cooling and water heating systems. These well-insulated homes also feature efficient lighting, high performance windows, and low-VOC paints. A recently added standard feature is the addition of solar panels inconspicuously mounted on each home’s rear garage roof. The photovoltaics are tied to the local utility company which allows for any excess power that is produced from the sun during the day to be credited toward the homeowner’s electric bill.

To find a builder in your area, check out Energy Star’s website and look for a builder with 100% next to his/her name which shows a commitment to building 100% of their homes to ENERGY STAR performance guidelines.