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Star Power: Homebuilders join energy-conservation effort with efficient materials

Energy Star, the massive program to promote energy-efficient products, is rapidly gaining ground and plunking money into consumer' pockets. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency introduced Energy Star 10 years ago as a voluntary program to label and promote energy-efficient products. The goal is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by cutting the amount of fossil fuel burned to heat homes and generate electricity. Products - furnaces, windows, computers, VCRs, stoves, washing machines and refrigerators - receive the Energy Star label by surpassing various conservation goals.

Americans have cut annual utility bills by $5 billion since Energy Star products first appeared in 1994, EPA officials say. Consumers bought more than 150 million Energy Star products last year and saved enough energy to power 10 million homes and reduce air pollution equal to that generated by 25 million cars in a year.

Energy Star labels aren't limited to individual products. A few central Ohio homebuilders have qualified to the label by proving that their new houses are at least 30% more energy-efficient than the standards set in the 1993 national building code on energy. All houses built by M/I Schottenstein Homes carry the Energy Star certification. C.V Perry soon will begin advertising that all of its new single-family homes meet Energy Star standards. [Sevvonco, Inc. is an Energy Star builder.]

"We've been doing our homework on Energy Star for the last nine months," said Carlyle Perry, company president. "We met with the heating-and-cooling guys, the insulation guys, the window people and architects and electricians to see what part each could do. We changed the heating and cooling equipment, though it's still the same manufacturer. We changed our insulation - the weight and type - along with the air infiltration package. The window manufacturer had one line of Energy Star products, but it now has the rating for all the windows. We were so close before, it didn't take a lot."

EPA officials said the enlistment of M/I - the area's biggest homebuilder - was a coup for Energy Star. "We kicked the program off at the beginning of 2001," said Devin Byrd, regional marketing director of M/I. "It was right during the winter when utility bills went crazy. It was a good time to jump on the bandwagon. We closed on our first Energy Star home in June of last year." Byrd said that independent testing has found the houses exceed Energy Star requirements. "We have to exceed the model code by 30%. Our homes are averaging between 42% and 45% beyond the code," he said. "We tested some new houses before we made the changes, and we were not real far off."

To meet the Energy Star goals, M/I switched from furnaces that are 80% efficient in the use of fuel to those that are 92% efficient. The builder also switched to more efficient water heaters and to an automatic thermostat that adjusts the home's temperatures at designated times.

"We also are insulating the foundations from the footer to the sill," he said. "That was one of the most significant things we did. We already were using a thermal pane low-e glass window, which certainly helped." The exteriors are wrapped with a material to block wind and water penetration while allowing interior moisture to evaporate. The local builders are still awaiting before-and-after studies to determine how much consumers will save on utility bills in an Energy Star house.

Custom builder Donovan-Mathews officials said all of the company's new homes are Energy Star-qualified and that major remodeling projects incorporate as many Energy Star features as possible. Perry and Byrd notes that some builders have Energy Star appliances or components in their homes and have been touting their "Energy Star homes" even thought the houses do not meet the requirements. Independent energy auditors use pressure tests and computations to determine the energy savings in each new hours of most certified builders. Not every house of large-scale builders is audited, however. Auditors randomly select 20% of M/I homes for the tests. The EPA's Energy Star builder list includes two Delaware builders: Daniel Truth and Son Builders and Schmid and McCather.

EPA officials said that a homebuyer who opts for an Energy Star house instead of one that merely meets the national energy model code can expect to save between $200 and $400 a year. The EPA's goal is to have 36,000 new homes built to Energy Star standards this year. There were 27,000 built in 2001 and 13,500 in 2000. "Basically, Energy Star requires them to build them tight, insulate them tight and seal them tight," said Sam Rashkin, the EPA's director of Energy Star homes. "Ohio builders typically have to use more insulation," he said. "They may install low-e windows and seal the heating and cooling ducts so they don't leak. Typically, new duct systems are very, very leaky."

Up to 20% of the warm and cool air in the new system leaks from the ducts and isn't distributed though the vents. That loss can be cut to 6% or less by sealing the ducts with a mastic compound instead of duct tape, Rashkin said. "It doesn't cost any more once the installers learn to use the mastic. And it lasts forever." A house that meets Energy Star standards causes 4,700 fewer pounds of carbon dioxide to be emitted into the air annually than a typical new house. Some of the reduction comes from fewer emissions from the home. Most of the emissions reduction is attributed to a lower demand for electricity from coal-burning power plants, Rashkin said. "The energy efficiency payer you money." The typical $2,000 extra for Energy Star improvements can be included in a fixed-rate mortgage. But the energy savings will increase as energy costs increase over time.

"The important thing for the customer is that they can get a house that's a lot better, a lot more comfortable, a lot more quiet, a lot more durable and less expensive to live in."

Copyright 2002 The Columbus Dispatch Lee Stratton, Dispatch Home Reporter