Why bother with Energy Star?

Let me tell you staight up. I live in a home built in 1953. It's a really nice ranch home with hard wood floors and a limestone exterior. The craftsmanship is high but energy efficiency wasn't a priority in 1953. Standards were different back then and my problem is I can't easily make my home more comfortable and efficient at a price I can afford. I sure wish they would have done it back then. If you are building a home you have an opportunity to do it now with Energy Star.

Some contractors may tell you that your home will be built to code but what they don't tell is "code" is what is considered minimum by law. Energy star goes above and beyond those minimums to give you quality assurance.  An energy efficient home allows you to keep more money in your pocket by giving you more control over those utility bills.The  HERS^® (Home Energy Rating System) index is a method used to show home owners just where their home stands when it comes to efficiency, just like MPG ratings show the fuel efficiency of your car. These days energy costs are a bigger and bigger part of your family's budget. Energy Star uses a quality assurance program through a series of inspection check lists that insures that the workmanship is in the part of the home you can't see as well. When it comes time to sell your home this documentation also helps to insures that you will get top dollar. Why bother with Energy Star? Because it pays big time. Plain and simple.