At the upcoming national Energy Star awards ceremony the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will announce California builders completed 19,000 new homes last year that met the rigorous Energy Star energy-efficiency guidelines — a 1,200 percent increase compared to the 1,500 units built in 2001.
At the March 2nd ceremony in Washington, D.C., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will attribute California's emergence as a national leader in energy-efficient new home construction to a unique, joint utility campaign called the "California Energy Star New Homes" program first offered in 2002.
The program, run by San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern California Gas Co., Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and Southern California Edison, provides builders with information on the benefits of energy-efficient homes plus financial incentives for offering customers Energy Star homes. Approximately $11.5 million in such incentives were provided in 2003 alone to help offset the added construction costs of energy-efficient building practices.
Because California has some of the most rigorous energy efficiency requirements in the nation, homes achieving Energy Star certification must be 45 percent more energy-efficient than the National Model Energy Code, instead of the 30 percent criteria required in other states. Nevertheless, a record 32,000 new homes conforming to Energy Star guidelines were permitted in the state last year because of the utility campaign.
When completed, the electricity savings of California's 2003 Energy Star homes will equal approximately 1,100 megawatt-hours — the output of one large power plant. The heat savings from the utilities' 2003 Energy Star natural-gas programs will be an estimated 1.2 million therms per year or the equivalent of the amount of energy needed to heat 2,300 single-family homes for an entire year.
About Energy Star Energy Star was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce air pollution through increased energy efficiency. More than 7,000 organizations have become Energy Star partners and are committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes and businesses.
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