7 Reasons Your Home Should Be BUILT TO SAVE® Certified

Would you like to pay less in utility bills and enjoy more comfort at home? You can— if your home is certified in the BUILT TO SAVE® high-performance home program. Read on to learn more about how a BUILT TO SAVE® certified home can improve the quality of your life and your homebuying experience.

There can be many uncertainties when building or buying a home. For example, how can you be sure the home is constructed to superior energyefficiency standards? A home with a BUILT TO SAVE® certificate gives you that certainty.

The BUILT TO SAVE® certification is given to new homes that meet strict criteria for energy efficiency and construction standards. It also shows the builder’s commendable dedication to building highperformance homes of superior quality. You can relax in your new home in peace knowing it’s built to high quality standards— while also enjoying the benefits detailed below.

What Is the BUILT TO SAVE® High-Performance Home Program?

BUILT TO SAVE® is a voluntary program for builders that issues certificates of high performance to qualifying new homes. It verifies the home surpasses minimum building code and basic energy efficiency standards. As a requirement of the BUILT TO SAVE® program, an independent, RESNET-certified Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Rater inspects the home during construction and tests it after completion to verify it meets the BUILT TO SAVE® certification’s requirements for high performance.

With the test results in hand, the Rater calculates the home’s HERS score—a great predictor of how the home will perform in terms of energy efficiency. Unlike high school exam results, you don’t want the home’s HERS score to be high—a lower HERS score signifies better energy efficiency. The home needs a score of 63 or lower to qualify for the BUILT TO SAVE® certificate. A home with the certificate will be more energy efficient and better constructed than a similar home built to minimum code standards.

How a BUILT TO SAVE® Certified Home Benefits You

Saving money on utilities is great, but it’s just one of BUILT TO SAVE® certification’s many benefits. Most importantly, it can improve the quality of your life by providing you with more comfort, better indoor air quality, and lower maintenance.

Without a doubt, these factors have a huge impact on whether or not you will be happy in your new home. But they can’t be seen— only experienced. Unfortunately, homebuyers often base their buying decisions mostly on what they can see—the home’s beauty—and not on what will be more important to them once they move in. Here is what homebuyers should know about a BUILT TO SAVE® certified home.

Lower Utility Bills

It says so right there in the name—the BUILT TO SAVE® certification helps you save money. For example, did you know that an average house has roughly a ½ mile of cracks and gaps in its walls, doors, windows, and ceilings? These gaps can increase your yearly heating and cooling expenses by up to 40% due to air leakage. HERS Raters do a thermal bypass inspection while the home is under construction. This inspection ensures that areas where air can escape or enter the home are properly sealed to remove these pesky money sinks.

The BUILT TO SAVE® program lowers your utility bills by verifying that your home was built with correctly installed insulation, properly sized heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, appropriate ventilation, and more. The monthly savings on utilities will add up over the home’s life, resulting in money you can use to offset other costs of homeownership.

More Comfort In Your Home

The Rio Grande Valley is among the hottest regions in the country and the humidity here can be oppressive. In fact, one city in the Lower Valley has the highest humidity in the nation. For these reasons, you shouldn’t assume your new home will be comfortable. With a BUILT TO SAVE® certified home, you won’t have to assume. You’ll know that a Rater made sure the home’s insulation was properly installed to keep cool air inside the house in the summer and warm air in the winter so you can relax in comfort. You will also know that the air-conditioning (A/C) unit was properly sized for your home to keep you from living in an uncomfortably humid home due to an oversized unit.

Better Air Filtration And Healthy Indoor Air Quality

Dust, pollen, and other contaminants and allergens can get into a poorly sealed house. Naturally, dust-filled air isn’t healthy for anyone. But it’s a real problem if you or a family member suffers from respiratory issues, like allergies or asthma. The BUILT TO SAVE® Rater inspects the home to identify cracks, openings, or other gaps that could allow pollutants to get inside. A wellsealed home with a proper ventilation system will ensure you and your family can breathe clean, healthy indoor air in the comfort of your new home. A home with a tight, wellsealed envelope has one additional benefit—it will keep unwanted intruders out. Pests can find their way into homes through the same cracks that leak air. With fewer gaps and openings, fewer unwelcome visitors can crawl into a BUILT TO SAVE® certified home.

Correctly sizing A/C units is one of the greatest but often overlooked challenges in home construction. An oversized air conditioner cools your home too quickly and shuts off before removing all of the humidity in the air. As a result, your home can feel clammy and uncomfortable. The buildup of humidity can also lead to mold and other moisture issues.

Accurately Sized Hvac Systems Peace Of Mind In Your New Home

A builder member of the BUILT TO SAVE® program must submit a Manual J document for the Rater’s review. This document details the home’s cooling and heating needs based on several factors, like house size, number of occupants, and insulation R-values. Rather than using a “rule of thumb” method or guessing, the Rater calculates the heating and cooling loads using specialized software and data customized for the home’s precise specifications to determine the exact size of the A/C unit needed.

HIGHER RESALE VALUE

The BUILT TO SAVE® program benefits you especially if you decide to sell your home. National market studies clearly show that today’s homebuyers want high-performance, energy-efficient homes. They’re ready to pay a premium for the increased comfort and lower energy bills. Not only that, certified energy-efficient homes tend to sell faster than non-certified ones. With a BUILT TO SAVE® certificate, you’ll have proof of energy efficiency and can confidently ask for a higher price for your home.

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If you’re an environmentallyminded person, you have an extra motivation to make your home energy efficient. The Energy Information Administration says the residential sector produces around 20% of our country’s carbon emissions. Reducing your home’s energy consumption does more than save money. It directly lowers your carbon footprint and helps protect the planet for your children and their children.

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Saving on utility bills and maintenance costs is great, but you can’t put a price on peace of mind. And that’s the best thing about the BUILT TO SAVE® program.

You can enjoy life in your home knowing that a licensed, independent, third-party Rater has inspected and tested it to verify it meets the requirements of the BUILT TO SAVE® high-performance home program. Furthermore, you can rest assured that your home complies with the State of Texas-mandated International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Enjoy the worry-free feeling of knowing that you didn’t have to take anyone’s word that you bought a superior energy-efficient home. You’ll have a BUILT TO SAVE® certificate to prove it.

When it comes to buying a home, future homeowners have a choice. They can build or purchase a home built to minimum-code standards. Or, they can choose a home that has a verified BUILT TO SAVE® certificate of energy efficiency and high performance. Now that you know how the BUILT TO SAVE® program can benefit you, it’s not a difficult choice. Ask your builder if they’re a BUILT TO SAVE® program member, and if their homes have a certificate of high performance.

Visit www.BuiltToSave.org to learn more about the BUILT TO SAVE® program. You can also view the list of member builders in the BUILT TO SAVE® program at www.BuiltToSave.org/Find-A-Builder.

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Nebraska Heights is a cozy, one-street community of 24 build-ready and affordably priced lots and homes. It is in a quiet area of Alamo, yet is close to Expressway 83 for quick travel to anywhere in the Valley. This is a perfect opportunity to own a home from Courtesy Custom Homes, a premier builder in the Valley since 1993. Their friendly and courteous customer service, along with their excellence in construction, will make your home-building experience memorable and happy. Nebraska Heights features a Homeowners Association and owner financing.

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Welcome to Mayberry Ranch! This upcoming exclusive gated community in Palmhurst, Texas, located on Mayberry Rd just south of Mile 3 (Buddy Owens Blvd), will feature 21 spacious one-acre lots. The community, estimated to be completed in the spring of 2023, is conveniently located just minutes away from schools, restaurants, and grocery stores. Mayberry Ranch is located in Palmhurst, Texas, which provides the added benefit of NO city taxes. You won’t want to miss out on this opportunity! Special predevelopment prices are available for a limited time. Call now—ask about multiple-lot prices and to place your deposit today!!!