Homes Built To Federal "Energy Star" Standards Save Up To $197 A Month On Energy

April 6, 1999

GAINESVILLE—After studying two homes that appear virtually identical, University of Florida energy specialists found that energy savings measures built into one home meant drastic reductions in monthly utility costs.

“Homes that meet federal Energy Star standards don’t look any different than other homes, but they can save anywhere from $50 to $200 per month in utility bills,” said Pierce Jones, assistant director of UF’s Energy Extension Service.

“More than 150 Energy Star homes have been built in Florida since 1997, and we’re now seeing long-term energy data. In some cases, the results are even better than we hoped.”

For example, he said a 1998 Energy Star home averaged $197 a month in energy savings over a virtually identical home built only seven years earlier. The average monthly utility bill on the 1991 home was $320.42 while the monthly utility bill on the 1998 Energy Star home was $123.25. The cost savings were calculated for the period of April to December 1998.

Gainesville builder Steve Bobroff and designer Michael Burke both used energy-efficient techniques they learned in UF courses. In 1998, Bobroff duplicated a 2,600-square-foot home that Burke had built in 1991. At that time, Burke included the latest energy-efficient features available, but new Energy Star standards are much more stringent than 1991 standards.

The Energy Star certification is awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency to homes tested by a certified energy rater to be at least 30 percent more efficient than the national 1993 Model Energy Code. The certification is based on how the home performs once it is actually built, not whether the builder included a pre-determined list of features.

Jones said builders are free to mix and match product upgrades and improved techniques to meet their bottom line and their client’s approval. This allows builders around the country to adapt to individual regional requirements needed to take each home to optimum performance, while maintaining the same national standard from Florida to Alaska.

“Building to these higher standards is not that risky or terribly difficult if some thought goes into the plan ahead of time,” Bobroff said.

For example, all ductwork was located within the air-conditioned living space and the air-conditioning system was located in the center of the home to eliminate long ducts. Every hole, crack, gap or penetration was sealed to reduce air leakage.

Details of the home’s improvements will be featured in the May 1999 issue of Florida Home Builder magazine.

“We’ve always believed that the financial return on an energy-efficient investment was real, but we never had the proof until now,” Bobroff said.

“Being able to compare two almost identical floor plans and siting conditions, built to different energy standards, means we can finally provide builders and consumers with real-life data about saving energy,” Jones said.

“By incorporating these new energy standards in a home when it’s built, I believe some people may actually look forward to getting their utility bills,” he said.

Jones some energy savings can be achieved in older homes by adding upgrades such as more insulation, efficient air conditioning and high performance windows. But, he adds, no matter what you do to improve energy efficiency, you cannot match the efficiency of building these features into a home during initial construction.

“It’s just hard to imagine that even when you have no mortgage to pay and you’re trying to live on a fixed income in retirement, you’re going to have to come up with what amounts to a small mortgage payment each month to pay your energy bills. But, you don’t have to face this dilemma if you incorporate Energy Star standards when you build your new home now,” he said.

Jones, a professor with the UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, says education is the missing link in actually getting home buyers to buy high-efficiency, environmentally sound housing.

“So we work with builders, developers, real estate agents, and mortgage lenders who can see the potential and impact these homes have on their community’s economy and environment,” Jones said. “We provide the educational services needed to foster development of local business coalitions that can make building, selling and financing Energy Star homes a profitable operation.”

One educational opportunity is the series of high-efficiency home seminars scheduled at University of Florida/Cooperative Extension Service offices around the state over the next two months. Home buyers will be able to learn how homes are built, tested and financed from building professionals.