Texas leads the ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2013 and continuing its leading position in Q1 2014.
Energy Star Certified Homes in the US
Thilak Adiboina | Vhomeinsurance
Vhomeinsurance analyzed a list of the top 10 states with the most ENERGY STAR certified homes. The states on this list demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits achieved by homeowners when they apply a proven approach to energy efficiency to their homes. In addition, an ENERGY STAR qualified new home is on average 30% more energy efficient than a home built to code.
The Top 10 states on the list are: Texas with 20,713 ENERGY STAR certified homes, Arizona (11,484), North Carolina (7,490), California (6,783), Florida (5,495), Maryland (4,369), Nevada (3,159), Virginia (3,126), Ohio (2,406) and Colorado (2,283).
The top 10 states contributed 74% of energy certified homes in 2013. These homes saved approximately 125,260,188 lbs of coal and saved environment from 320,789,928 pounds of CO2.
Further, to provide clear development status on ENERGY STAR certified homes, Vhomeinsurance collected newly constructed house permit census data and compared against number of ENERGY STAR certified homes built in 2013 to see which states have the best and which have the worst green energy initiatives.
The Top 10 states in terms of % energy certified homes built as compared to total houses built are Arizona with 48.32% of ENERGY STAR certified homes, Nevada (28.13%), Maryland (24.10%), Vermont (19%), Delaware (18.91%), North Carolina (14.75%), Texas (14.15%), Iowa (14.13%), New Hampshire (13.26%) and Idaho (13%).
Nearly 132 million housing units existed in the U.S. in 2012. Residential segment accounts for approximately 7% energy consumption in the US. The average household spends at least $2,000 a year on energy bills. You are also likely to get additional discounts on Home Insurance. For example, you could get a discount ranging from 8% to 15% on insurance premium in a place like Durham, NC.
According to ENERGY STAR, in 2013 alone, Americans, with the help of Energy Star, saved an estimated $30 billion on their utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the annual electricity use of more than 38 million homes.
The 2014 Energy Star Top States are (Q1-2014):
- Texas
- Arizona
- Florida
- North Carolina
- California
- Nevada
- Colorado
- Maryland
- Iowa
- Ohio
- Washington
- South Carolina
- Utah
- Virginia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Michigan
- New Jersey
- Tennessee
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Connecticut
- Georgia
- Missouri
- New York
These ENERGY STAR certified homes present a practical choice for homeowners looking for a new home that is energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
How to qualify as an energy star certified home?
To earn the ENERGY STAR, a home must meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Homes achieve this level of performance through a complete package of building science features such as effective insulation, high performance windows, tight construction and ducts, and efficient heating and cooling equipment create an indoor environment that conserves energy and reduces humidity. These homes must be at least 30% more efficient than the national Model Energy Code for homes or 15% percent more efficient than the state energy code, whichever is more rigorous.
VHomeInsurance has in-depth data on energy-efficient homes, and is making it available to students, researchers, and the media for further research.
The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of AltEnergyMag
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