New Energy Efficient Homes Guarantee Comfort And Lower Energy Usage
(HIT) - When searching for a new energy efficient home there are so many considerations from location to whether to buy an existing home or build a new one from the ground up. Often there’s no guarantee that your "dream" home will be exactly as energy efficient and comfortable as we think it will be.
Through a new home program called the Certified Plus Home, CertainTeed Corporation is trying to ensure that at least two items in newly constructed homes will be as expected—the home’s energy usage and its comfort.
"The Certified Plus Home™, available to builders that use a Certified Insulation Contractor only, requires builders to construct homes to specific criteria and then subjects them to six different energy efficiency performance tests," explains Glenn Singer of CertainTeed. "The tests include infrared scanning, to calibrated air flow measurement, to tracer smoke testing, among others to test their energy efficiency. Then, after builders pass the tests, they can give their homebuyers a three year written energy efficiency warranty and a one year written comfort warranty."
Over 80 percent of those surveyed in a recent Opinion Research Corporation study said it would be a plus if energy efficiency and comfort could be guaranteed at a certain level in their new homes. Therefore, when talking to your builder about a new home, ask him if he uses a Certified Insulation Contractor, one certified by the NAHB Research Center, and offers the Certified Plus Home Program.
For more information on the Certified Plus Home Program, write to the CertainTeed Home Institute, P. O. Box 860, Valley Forge, PA 19482 or call 1-800-782-8777. Also for a list of Certified Plus Home builders, visit us on the internet at www.cphome.com.
Courtesy: Home Improvement News and Information Center
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