Energy Star is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency. It identifies new homes and more than 40 types of products that are energy efficient and offer the features, quality and personal comfort that today's consumers expect. From appliances and lighting to consumer electronics and heating and cooling equipment, the options are limitless.
The Energy Star label on a new home means that it is significantly more efficient than the standard home. By purchasing a qualified home, homeowners can have all the features they desire, plus lower utility bills and reduced air pollution.

A voluntary partnership between the government and more than 9,000 organizations, including 2,500 of the nation's home builders, Energy Star is working with home buyers and their families to protect the environment for future generations by changing to more energy-efficient practices today. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of Energy Star, saved enough energy to power 20 million homes and reduced greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to hose from 18 million cars, while saving $9 billion in energy costs.

How do homes qualify as Energy Star? Energy Star home builders achieve this high efficiency for their clients by selecting from a variety of features: effective insulation; high-performance windows; tight construction and tight ducts; more efficient heating and cooling equipment; and independent testing.

Energy Star qualified homes provide homeowners an array of benefits. Compared with standard homes, qualified homes use substantially less energy for heating, cooling and water heating-delivering $200 to $400 in annual savings. Over the average seven or eight years of living in the home, thousands of dollars are saved on utility bills as well as substantial maintenance savings.

Properly installed energy-efficient improvements deliver better protection against cold, heat, drafts, moisture, pollution and noise. An energy-efficient home helps ensure consistent temperatures between and across rooms, indoor air quality and greater durability. These homes also help prevent air pollution. Sixteen percent of all greenhouse gases are generated from the energy used in houses nationwide. With energy efficient features, qualified homes help cut down on smog, acid rain and global warming.

To date, more than 250,000 Energy Star homes have been built, a number that is expected to grow to 2 million by the end of the decade. The trend is clear. By choosing a home with the Energy Star label, homeowners can be confident that their house will have an increasingly valued feature when the time comes to sell.