Preventing energy (and money) leaks in new homes -- page 2

Get an energy inspection
If a newly constructed home isn't scheduled to be inspected by a Home Energy Rating System inspector, hire one, Madison advises. It may cost about $250, he says, but such inspectors will test for air and moisture leakage and heat and energy transfer.

"There are a lot of attorneys making good money in forensic deconstruction," he says. "They'll go in a home and find violations of the energy code. And the builder can be liable."

Windows, insulation and appliances, among other home products, have energy ratings on them. Home buyers can check with their city building officials to make sure they comply with minimum standards before they are installed.

California, with its unique Title 24 codes, and Minnesota have the most stringent requirements, says the Energy Department's Boulin. Oregon, Washington and Florida are not far behind.

By contrast, Illinois, Missouri and South Dakota aren't forced to comply with any formal residential energy code baseline, according to the DOE.

Builders in some metro areas, such as in 38 Texas counties, including the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas, have been forced to abide by stricter codes because of repeated pollution violations in those regions.

Resultant energy savings are expected to cut back on power-plant emissions, the DOE says.

In those markets, depth markers are required for attic insulation, oversized air conditioners are banned for smaller homes, hot-water systems must have controls that switch them off when they're not in use and all doors must be weather-stripped.

Energy-efficiency costs, benefits
Choice Homes, which mostly builds starter homes in Texas and Georgia, estimates the new regulations, which took effect late last year, add about $1,500 to the average new-home price in Texas markets.

Homes equipped with Energy Star windows, air conditioners, lighting and appliances can save up to 30 percent on a home's energy bill but will add at least $1,000 to a home's price tag, builders say.

On a combined electric-gas energy bill of $150 in a small, new home, a 30-percent savings would amount to about $45 a month, or $540 a year.

The savings add up nationally
With the help of Energy Star, Americans have saved enough energy to power 10 million homes and avoid greenhouse gas emissions from 12 million cars -- while saving $6 billion, according to the DOE.

Use of insulated concrete form, ICF, in home construction takes the codes a step further, says Don Brown of D.A. Brown Construction, based in Las Cruces, N.M. "You can save 30 to 50 percent over a conventional frame home without even trying," he says. "You'll save even more if you add Energy Star lighting systems and air conditioners."

In the ICF system, builders lay down hollow Styrofoam blocks, fill them with rebar and pump concrete in to form wall components. "They don't leak," Brown says. "Plus, they block out outside noise." ICF homes cost from 3 percent to 8 percent more per square foot than standard homes, he says.

Stonewood Design of Minneapolis uses polyethylene foam for insulation instead of fiberglass, plus installs geothermal energy systems in some of its upper-end houses, says co-owner Sven Gustafson. "We just finished a 6,900-square-foot home using geothermal, and buried about a mile of pipe under it," he says. "A heating and cooling bill in a house that size would ordinarily be $400 to $500. This one costs $150 a month."

A more conventional volume builder, Pulte Homes, which is one of the nation's top three volume home builders, builds at a higher energy-efficiency level than even California in most of its markets, "now that we know a lot more about building science," says Randy Folts, vice president of construction for Pulte's Arizona and Nevada operations.

"But it's kind of market driven. As soon as the general consumer walks through the door and starts asking for that special widget, we're going to provide it for them," he says.

A first-time home buyer moving out of an apartment that included all utilities paid in its rent may be more interested in surround sound than energy efficiency -- "until they have written that first check for an electric bill," says Folts.

Steve McLinden is a freelance writer based in Texas