Benefits for Homeowners

Couple seen through window paneThe ENERGY STAR brand means energy efficiency
ENERGY STAR is the national symbol of energy efficiency, recognized by more than 60 percent of the American public. Last year alone, Americans with the help of ENERGY STAR saved about $10 billion on their energy bills while reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 20 million cars. ENERGY STAR is administered by U.S. EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

ENERGY STAR brand products and services have a high level of consumer confidence.

Lower utility bills
Energy-efficient homes cost less to heat and cool. Energy related improvements will provide immediate dollars on a monthly basis in terms of lower utility bills. Investments in energy-efficient upgrades add value to your home.

You can save 30–40 percent on your heating and cooling costs. The exact dollar amount will vary depending on your homes design, size and your personal comfort level. For example, savings can average between $200 and $400 per year with proper upgrades to a high-efficiency heating system.

Comfortable rooms
Eliminating cold spots or overheated rooms makes a home comfortable. Many homeowners also report reduced dust and more comfortable humidity levels in winter and summer.

Environmental benefits
Most energy in our homes comes from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas) that produce pollution. A more efficient home produces less pollution.
  • The average home is responsible for twice the air pollution than the average car. If one household in 10 used ENERGY STAR heating and cooling equipment, the change would prevent 17 billion pounds of air pollution and save about $1 billion in electricity costs.
  • An average of 23,000 pounds of carbon dioxide are emitted annually in each American home.
  • For every kilowatt hour of electricity saved in your home, you prevent about 2 ½ pounds of carbon dioxide (the gas thought to be primarily responsible for global warming) from being emitted. You also prevent sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxides (a gas that creates smog) from being released. (One 60-watt light bulb used five hours per day for 30 days uses nine kilowatt hours of electricity.)

A healthier home
Your home is more than the sum of its individual components. It’s a combination of comfort, safety, energy and other environmental systems, all of which need to work together as a system. When a part of that system doesn’t work, the whole system can under-perform.

Examples

For the most part, contractors fix the obvious problems: replacing an air conditioning unit, for example. But if air ducts leak or registers are improperly sized, a new A/C unit won’t solve the problem.

Or a contractor could install a new furnace. But without examining whether the attic insulation is adequate or air circulation is proper, your home could still be uncomfortable.

Home Performance with ENERGY STAR works with contractors to ensure they have the training and skills to properly assess your home as a whole system and prescribe upgrades and enhancements that will give you better indoor quality, comfort and lower energy bills.