Energy Star?

[jghall00]

I have a question I've been meaning to ask for some time now. When my wife and I look at new homes, the builders often stress how they are energy star compliant or better. How much does the electric bill usually run for newer homes in the 1800 - 2600 sq ft range? Some useful information would be the square footage, A/C setting, and monthly bill.

[kjb434]

Other usefull information would be if you have a west facing side of the house with brick or windows and if you have trees shading the house.

Energy Star is just using materials that qualify for the rating. Also, please use any service besides Reliant because they will be cheaper. I use TXU which gaurantees it will be cheaper. Green Mountain is another one that is available. Another one that just came on the market is Constellation New Energy but I think they just do businesses and not homes.

[RedScare]

That can very wildly depending on a lot of factors. If it is EnergyStar built, it is supposed to comply with the EPA's EnergyStar criteria. Go here for more info.

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseac...=find_a_product.

In simple terms, you want as good an AC unit as you can get. At least 14 SEER, higher if you can. Don't let them tell you higher ones aren't worth it. It may cost several hundred dollars more, but you save dozens of dollars every month on electricity.

Good insulation and windows are important. Double pane windows are good. Roof insulation is more important than wall insulation. And look for a house that faces the right direction. You don't want a lot of windows facing west into the afternoon sun.

Two things that are a big deal, but most builders don't do:

1) Large overhangs will shade your walls reducing heat. At least 18 inches is preferred.

2) Light colored roofs (white metal preferred)

The Univ of South Florida did a study with 2 identical houses, except one had white metal roof and 18 inch overhangs. This house used 70% less energy over a month than the standard Florida house, which is similar to a standard Houston house.

[kjb434]

Also, in most new neighborhood you have ABSOLUTELY no choice over the roof matrial and color. It it is decided by the build.

Also, some HOA have rules about how much you can change your house.

HOA's are the primary reason I don't live in the burbs. I would have to live in a subdivision that is way out there and large lots that don't have a lot of the HOA restrictions.

[lwood]

I have a question I've been meaning to ask for some time now.  When my wife and I look at new homes, the builders often stress how they are energy star compliant or better.  How much does the electric bill usually run for newer homes in the 1800 - 2600 sq ft range?  Some useful information would be the square footage, A/C setting, and monthly bill.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would suggest listening to Tom Tynan on 610a.m. He comes on Saturday and Sunday morning at 8:00. There is a lot of conversation on energy savings.

I would not build without a radiant barrier. This is a metal foil that is on the underside of the roof deck facing the open space of the attic. It will be a construction adder but well worth it. This cuts out approximately 70% of the radiant heat. Some builders who do not want to offer it will give you a line of %*&^ that it bake the shingles. Not so.

[Kirzania]

UCF also did a study on radiant barriers. If you do get one installed, either go up into your attic and dust it off every now and then or get the RBS chips.

For a typical FPC customer using 5,650 kWh per year for cooling, this would represent an average annual savings of about $41. The average cooling energy savings amounted to 3.6 kWh/day (9.3%). The mean reduction in peak demand was 420 watts (or about 16%). Since space heating energy savings are lower, the economics of RBS will be greatest for customers with high summer utility bills.

And if you're really interested: To give you an idea of installation costs, $0.15 - $0.75 per sq .ft. of roof area, 2,000 sq ft of roof area = $300 - $750 installation (this is assuming ~1,600 sq ft. house).

[travelguy_73]

Energy Star is a good guage for the materials, but it is the installation that really counts. You can have the most energy efficient AC system on the market (and pay a high price for it), but if it isn't installed corrected (under- over oversized for the house, leaky/inefficient ductwork, etc.) then you basically have the equivalent of an apartment grade unit. Unfortunately, the average homebuilder will wow you with brand names and ratings, but unless you know what you are looking for, you can only assume they have been installed "correctly."

What is the saying? It is better to plant a $2 plant in $50 soil, than a $50 plant in $2 soil. Or something like that, LOL.