Take a Look at this Home Energy Features Shopping List

"We made too many of the wrong mistakes."
- Yogi Berra

"I really didn't say everything I said."
- Yogi Berra

A collaborative of groups recently kicked off an energy-efficiency campaign that generated a small amount of publicity right out of the chute. That effort, which seeks to arm homeowners and homebuyers with objective energy information, is likely to pick up steam this summer and next fall. Its success will depend on consumer interest, which in turn depends on how energy issues, now very much on the front burner, play out.

Pat Hamill (Oakwood Homes) has chaired the new collaborative through its startup phase. Other members in the collaborative include Xcel Energy, the Colorado Energy Assistance Foundation, E-Star Colorado, the Governor's Office of Energy Conservation and Management, Home Depot, About Saving Heat Company and others. The group kicked off their effort with a March 30 press conference that drew all Denver TV stations to the Capitol press room.

Consumers interested in saving energy can call 866-HEAT-HELP and order a packet of information. That packet includes energy tips for homeowners. It also includes a shopping list of "best-buy energy features" for potential buyers of new homes. The text below features wording from that shopping list (assembled by this writer and reviewed by the collaborative). Additional comments below (italicized) are added for this article but don't appear on the printed shopping list.

Five top energy saving winners

If you're out cruising for a new home, and you want to be sure it'll be both energy efficient and comfortable, start by shopping for these five features. Yes, there are others, and we'll detail some of them as well. But these top five are the workhorses. Details below should help you narrow your shopping list.

Sealing leaks in ductwork. Colorado homes have the leakiest ductwork in the nation. In many cases, that means some second-floor bedrooms are cold in winter and hot in summer. Tape doesn't seal duct leaks because taping is temporary; both the cloth "duct tape" and most of the aluminized tapes don't stick after a few years. So, ask if all the ducts have been sealed with mastic. (Mastic is a gooey substance that's smeared on with a brush. It is obvious once you see it.)

Note: If there were an abbreviated way to describe the Aeroseal system, we would have included it as a very good way, perhaps the preferred way, for sealing our leaky ductwork.

High-performance windows. Today nearly all windows are rated by an organization called the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC). The NFRC sticker tells you how efficient the window is and how effectively it blocks out unwanted summer sun. Ask for a window with an NFRC rating of U-0.38 or lower; the lower the rating, the better the window's performance. Such a window will include special coatings that improve comfort, reduce fabric fading, decrease window condensation, save energy and improve resale value. What's not to like? The U-0.38 windows are commonly available on the market; ask for them.

Better insulated walls. Wall insulation is rated by R-value. The higher the R-value, the greater the energy savings. R-13 is standard in most new homes today; it's not enough. R-18 is a reasonable target for today. R-22 is even better for the long-term view. One additional benefit: adding a layer of foam boards outside your exterior walls should help your structure last longer; it cuts down on condensation within walls.

Insulated foundation. Make sure all components of the foundation are insulated: crawl-space walls (R-19), basement walls (R-10) and the edges of slabs at grade (R-8).

Sealed-combustion furnaces, fireplaces and water heaters. While these save some energy, the main benefit relates to health and safety. Ask a heating contractor or Home Energy Rater about this factor.

Five other factors worthy of your consideration

Good building orientation. In most Colorado climates, a no-cost way to cut energy bills and eliminate the need for air conditioning is to buy a home with most of its windows facing south and north. A new home with primarily eastand west-facing windows is likely to require some mechanical cooling (except in colder mountain locations).

Tight construction, especially where it counts! Who wants to have cold air leaking around their bathtubs against outside walls or their family room fireplaces and entertainment centers? Ask the builder how they solve common air leaks around these two sites. The only way to know whether a home is tight is to have it tested with a device called a blower door. Home Energy Raters can provide this test and help you evaluate all other items on this list. But tight construction should be balanced with the following item.

Controlled supply of fresh air. This doesn't save energy, but it's essential if you want your indoor environment to be healthy. Once it is implemented, the new engineering standard, ASHRAE 62.2P, will require a constant supply of controlled fresh air in all new homes.

Energy-efficient water heater. Ask for a model that has an Energy Factor (EF) of 0.60 or higher.

Insulation systems that add extra value. In E-Star's experience, walls and attics with insulation (cellulose, fiberglass, mineral wool or foam) that is either sprayed or blown into place tend to be tighter. Innovative systems like structural insulated panels and insulated concrete forms provide the most effective insulation we've seen, but you have to evaluate the extra cost, which can be considerable.

Will a home with the top five features cost more? Yes. A $250,000 home with these features might run $1,000 to $4,000 extra, depending on size and a particular builder's standard package. But when incorporated into a "systems thinking" type of package that includes advanced framing, these features should pay for themselves in energy savings and improved comfort today, with better resale value tomorrow.

The size of the above cost increase varies directly by what a builder's current practice is. For example, McStain often includes at least eight out of 10 items on this list, so their buyers might not see any new cost increase. And builders in the Built Green program won't have to shell out as much. Any builders who don't normally insulate their foundations will tend to experience the highest cost increase.

Steve Andrews consults with builders for E-Star Colorado and writes on energy issues (sbandrews@att.net). E-Star (www.e-star.com), is a nonprofit home energy rating system that works with both new and existing homes statewide.

2008 Built Green Colorado

Home Builders Association of Metro Denver, 9033 E. Easter Place, Suite 200, Centennial, CO 80112
(303) 778-1400 fax: (303) 733-9440  info@builtgreen.org

Last Updated: 10/05/2007