The Real (low) Cost Of Certifying Energy Star Homes
If there is one thing that sets me off more than anything else, it’s the scams and lies some (production) builders use to get out of certifying homes with the Energy Star label. Does this sound familiar? “Oh, we build the home to Energy Star standards, we just don’t certify it because it’s too expensive.” All too often the home buyer not knowing any better and wanting to believe that he or she is not being taken advantage of doesn’t press the matter. This is no different than a used car salesman trying to sell a potential client the “paint sealing package”.
The truth is, that certifying a home for Energy Star, usually costs less than $1,000 and with that certification, the home buyer typically gets a discount of 5-10% on the monthly bills from the utilities and most importantly, the home buyer gets the added confidence that an independent third party has verified that the builder did what they claimed they were going to do.
The real reason the builder doesn’t certify the home for Energy Star, is usually because they in fact don’t build the home to the higher Energy Star standard and they don’t want someone tell their clients the truth. There are many builders out there that are honest builders who stand behind their work and will certify their homes if asked to do so. However, there are many out there who are still operating in the old paradigm of “build them fast and build them cheap”. If they say they are going to build to the Energy Star standard, demand that it be certified. You can even offer to pay the additional cost of certification, you don’t have to rely on the builder. There are many companies that offer Energy Star certifications among others, ours included. You can find these organizations on the Energy Star website. Remember that as the buyer, in our market you have the power, don’t be afraid to use it. Once the home is built, you can’t get it certified, so don’t lose out on this unique opportunity to do it right from the start.
