Preventing energy (and money) leaks in new homes

You're finally constructing your dream home.

You've pored over your custom specs with the builder. The price is unbeatable. The roof is finally going up. You're exchanging knowing winks with your significant other or high fives with the kids. Everything looks right. But is it?

Only your contractor knows for sure. Or so you hope.

Without due diligence on the part of a new-home buyer, unseen hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars could disappear out the window and less-conspicuous openings in the years to come.

Leaking ducts, inadequate attic insulation, poorly protected pipes, single-pane windows, ineffectively sealed joints: These can all conspire to give your new palace a poor "thermal performance" -- an industry buzzword loosely translating to "painfully high energy bills."

Codes vary, so watch carefully
While most states have minimum building codes for energy efficiency, they can vary greatly in substance and enforcement, energy-efficiency experts say.

Owners should watch over their new home's construction as carefully as possible, they say, and even check local codes with city building officials.

But their first energy-saving move should be to purchase Energy Star-rated windows and equipment, says Mark Madison, president of Energy Code Works of Irvine, Calif.

They'll cost more upfront but pay off in a relatively short time, says Madison, who evaluates builder plans from across the country for state-code compliance.

Windows, appliances and heating-and-cooling equipment marked "Energy Star" adhere to strict efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy. "Energy Star is like the Good Housekeeping seal of approval," he says. "I can think of no reason other than ignorance not to get involved with an Energy Star-equipped home."

Some lenders will loan more money to a new-home buyer who is using energy-efficient components such as reflective "Low E" glass.

The extra cost is relatively painless when amortized into a long-term mortgage, said Gene Boulin, program manager of building energy codes for the U.S. Department of Energy. "You put a small amount of money in the infrastructure upfront and it pays off."

Studies have shown that heating and air-conditioning ducts in homes leak about 25 percent of the air that passes through them, Madison said. "And that usually happens because they are not sealed properly or some tape pops off them. It's often a result of poor or hurried workmanship. In hot-weather markets like Las Vegas, that's a big power loss and a loss in comfort."