New Home Builders are going “Green” in the Phoenix, Glendale, Peoria & other AZ Areas

New Home Builders are going “Green” in the Phoenix, Glendale, Peoria and other AZ Areas

APS Performance Built Homes®
Ashton Woods Homes, Shea Homes, & Columbia Communities qualify for the APS Performance Built Homes Program in AZ.

Arizona Public Service (APS) has established a regional energy efficient program that works with builders, sales agents and consumers to encourage the construction and purchase of energy efficient homes. The cost to heat and cool an APS Performance Built home is guaranteed by the builder or a third party or company such as Environments for Living® not to exceed a guaranteed annual amount. If the heating and cooling costs do go over the guaranteed amount, the guarantor will refund 100% of the exceeded costs. Properly installed insulation, low-e windows, and more efficient mechanical systems are characteristics of an APS Performance Built Homes®. Additionally, APS sponsors training programs for builders and sales agents. A new home buyer who buys an APS Performance Built Homes® may qualify for energy efficiency financing. Homes are randomly inspected to ensure they meet the high energy efficiency standards of the APS Performance Built program.

Energy Star for Homes Program™ Elite Communities, Beazer Homes, Centex Homes, Pulte Homes, Hacienda Builder, D. R. Horton, Trend Homes, Weinstein Communities, Classic Communities, KB Home, Keystone Homes, Concordia Homes in the outlying areas of Phoenix & Maricopa County, AZ.

Energy Star® is an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program developed to help businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. Energy Star® homes must be at least 30% more energy efficient than homes built to the 1993 national Model Energy Code or 15% more efficient than state energy code, whichever is more rigorous. The EPA Energy Star for Homes Program™ is part of a family of Energy Star® programs designed to prevent pollution while saving consumers money and offering businesses a significant competitive advantage. For new home buyers, the most significant advantage is reduced heating and cooling costs. Additionally, the purchase of a home that carries the Energy Star® label may mean the buyer will qualify for energy efficient financing options.

Energy Star® Certified Homes must pass four tests for energy efficiency. In some case all of the homes are tested, and in other situations a predefined percentage of each plan built is physically tested. The first is a design test to determine the energy efficiency of the planned design of the house. The other three are physical tests to determine if the house, as it is built, meets the design specifications that relate to energy efficiency. The first of these three phase tests is called the Duct Blaster Test. Once the heating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) duct work has been installed, it is pressurized and checked for leaks by a third party verification service. The second test is to verify that the wall insulation is installed in a manner to ensure its planned performance. The final test is a House Envelope Test which measures the air leakage of the completed house.

All of these tests are performed by an independent third party tester who is certified by the EPA. For the Energy Star® logo to be displayed on builder advertising, the home with which it is associated must meet all Energy Star® certification requirements. Because of the requirements, you can be assured that an Energy Star® certified house will be an energy-efficient home.

Another segment of the Energy Star® family is Building America which teams up the knowledge and expertise of architects, engineers, builders, equipment manufacturers, materials suppliers, community planners, mortgage lenders and contractor trades and conducts systems engineering research that leads to the construction of more energy efficient homes. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Building America is a private/public partnership that conducts research to find energy-efficient solutions for new and existing housing which can be implemented on a production basis. Homes are produced on a community scale that reduce energy usage by 40% to 70%, while improving builder productivity and reducing construction time and waste. Building America has established a certification for building green homes.

Environments for Living®
Builders that participate include Beazer Homes, Pulte Homes, Del Web Corporation, Talas Homes, Ashton Woods Homes, Homes by Towne, Shea Homes in Arizona.

An Environments for Living® home has an even more comprehensive approach to energy efficiency than does Energy Star™. All Environments for Living® homes must meet the Energy Star for Homes™ standards. Participating builders in the Environments for Living® program are given additional assistance in acquiring Energy Star® qualification and labeling. From design to construction and all the way through a third party inspection, these homes must meet specific construction standards for durability and safety. As with many of the other programs, new home buyers may be able to qualify for Energy Efficiency Mortgages that are offered by many lenders and include advantages to buyers such as lower interest rates, higher qualifying ratios and cash back at closing.

Scottsdale, AZ Green Building Program
Builders that participate in the Scottsdale Green Building Program are Starpointe Properties, Monterey Homes & Camelot Homes.
This program is a whole-systems program from design through final certification inspection that goes beyond the mechanical systems standards of the other programs. The program incorporates site use, regionally-derived building products, recycled content of building materials, water and waste systems. Builders who participate in the Scottsdale Green Building Program are provided educational opportunities and at least two tiers of certification. The advantages to home buyers are similar to the other programs: reduced energy usage, attractive financing options and a more comfortable living environment.

SRP-Certified Homes
SRP-Certified Homes in the Phoenix, Glendale, Peoria & outlying areas are Beazer Homes, Classic Communities, K Hovnanian Homes, Magee Homes, New Sun Homes, Courtland Homes, Woodside Homes of AZ, Randall Martin Home, Farnsworth Development, Earlie Homes, Allegiance Homes, Orleans Homes, Blandford Homes.

SRP offers an energy efficient home program called SRP-Certified Homes. The program focuses on lowering homeowner energy bills through the use of home construction materials and appliances that reduce energy consumption on a kilowatt-hour per square foot basis. Builders have the flexibility to substitute one energy-efficient feature for another if the overall design complies with the SRP-Certified Home requirements. Prospective buyers can review estimated energy costs prepared by SRP for the specific floor plan they choose before buying the house. These estimates are very useful to home buyers since the figures are based on current SRP price plans and local weather and groundwater temperature data, as opposed to national averages.

If you are considering purchasing a new home or would like more information, please contact RE/MAX Desert Showcase at 623-979-8888. Don’t go unrepresented for the single purchase you will make in your life—the builder pays the commission and it will NOT impact your sales price.