Benefits of the ENERGY STAR^®
New Home Program

ENERGY STAR Homes: What are we going to do with all the money?
The true cost of a house is not its "sticker" price, but what it costs you to own and operate every month. The ENERGY STAR home cost advantage is based on the concept that monthly utility bill savings can significantly exceed the increase in the monthly mortgage payment for extra energy efficiency measures. Putting this concept into practice results in positive cash flow the very first day you move into your ENERGY STAR home.

ENERGY STAR Homes: Many extra benefits mean more value!
Home buyers can expect much more value from their home purchase including:

Improved Comfort
Homes with additional insulation and high performance windows are blanketed in comfort because surrounding surface temperatures are warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Tightly-constructed homes will not experience annoying drafts and airborne dust. Better insulated walls, sealed ducts and properly sized efficient mechanical systems can deliver quiet performance year-round.

Improved Indoor Air Quality
Where ENERGY STAR homes and ducts are field verified to be tightly sealed, significant sources of indoor air pollution are effectively blocked from entering your home. These pollutants include moisture, dusts, pests, pollen and radon that could otherwise enter through leaks in attics, basements, and garages.

Quality Construction
Look for ENERGY STAR homes to have greater attention paid to many important construction details. Where provided, high-efficiency equipment, such as ENERGY STAR air conditioners, heat pumps, and furnaces may include quality features beyond improved performance, such as higher-grade heat exchangers, fans, motors, and longer-term warranties.

Higher Resale Value
ENERGY STAR homes are more likely to have a higher resale value regardless of how long you own your home. A typical ENERGY STAR home reduces utility bills by $35 per month or $420 a year. A recent EPA study revealed that these savings can add $8,400 to the market value of an ENERGY STAR home.

Access to Preferred Financing
National and local ENERGY STAR mortgages can make it easier for home buyers to qualify for ENERGY STAR homes. In some cases, loan origination fees may be discounted along with easier loan qualification requirements. Call the EPA ENERGY STAR Hotline about ENERGY STAR mortgages.

Experience All These Benefits and Help the Environment Too!
It's a great feeling to know that you can have an important impact on helping the environment. American house-hold energy use contributes significantly to air pollution, including 20 percent of all U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. By constructing more energy-efficient homes, we can make a difference. ENERGY STAR homes, built by the year 2012, are projected to lock in over $100 billion in utility bill savings and prevent pollution equivalent to removing more than three million cars from U.S. roads.

For more information on ENERGY STAR homes and other ENERGY STAR programs, call the U.S. EPA hotline at 1-888-STAR-YES or visit their website at http://www.energystar.gov/homes.

Read this article in its unmodified form: "Home Buying Just Got Simple"