Energy Star – The Energy Chronicle

FSEC Earns 2017 ENERGY STAR® Certified Homes Market Leader Award

Sherri Shields Awards, Press Release June 30, 2017June 30, 2017award, Energy Star, EPA, homes 0 Comment

COCOA, Fla., June 30, 2017—The University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center^® has earned an ENERGY STAR^® Certified Homes Market Leader Award in recognition of its continued commitment to providing our nation’s homebuyers with ENERGY STAR^® certified homes.

Home nergy raters submitted 2,905 home energy ratings through FSEC software services in 2017.

Each year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR^® Certified Homes program presents Market Leader Awards to outstanding partners who have made important contributions to energy–efficient construction and environmental protection by building or verifying an outstanding number of ENERGY STAR^® certified homes. As a rating provider, Florida Solar Energy Center^® (FSEC^®) contributed 2,905 ENERGY STAR^® certified homes in 2016, which is equivalent to reducing CO₂ emissions by 4,915 metric tons.

“FSEC is pleased to be recognized for this award on behalf of the energy raters who worked with builders to achieve ENERGY STAR-labeled homes and registered their ratings through our software services,” says Robin Vieira, director of Buildings Research at FSEC.

The expert team of FSEC trainers and reviewers, working with energy raters, are an integral part of FSEC’s success as an ENERGY STAR^® provider. In addition, FSEC’s innovative EnergyGauge software “automatically computes the necessary ENERGY STAR calculation to make determining the energy efficiency level of compliance easy,” explains Vieira.

The partnership between FSEC and ENERGY STAR^® has been a lasting one. “FSEC helped EPA launch the ENERGY STAR^® for Homes program in 1995 and will continue to work to research energy-efficient methods and to educate the building industry on best practices,” added Vieira.

The ENERGY STAR^® program helps businesses and individuals save money and protect the environment through superior energy efficiency standards.

Learn more about ENERGY STAR at https://www.energystar.gov/about.

Review the full list of ENERGY STAR award winners at https://www.energystar.gov/about/2017_energy_star_certified_homes_market_leader_award_winners.

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PR17-05

New Home Sales Robust for Some Energy-Efficient Florida Builders

Sherri Shields Awards, Energy News, Press Release October 21, 2009BAIHP, Building America, E-Scale, energy efficient, Energy Star, Gainesville, H.E.R.O., HERS Index, homebuilders, homes, Melbourne, Subrato Chandra 8 Comments

It’s no surprise that in today’s ailing market, new home sales are down. What is surprising is that construction is on the rise for six Florida homebuilders.

In partnership with one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America teams, led by the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), these successful homebuilders are building super energy-efficient homes. They are achieving a standard met by fewer than one of every 1,000 new homes built in Florida since 2007.

Homes consume about 35 percent of the electricity produced in the United States. Homes are also responsible for more than 20 percent of the U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide, a significant contributor to global warming. Building America’s goal is to develop cost-effective solutions that reduce the average energy use of housing by 40 to 100 percent.

The Department of Energy's EnergySmart Home Scale (E-Scale) is based off of the HERS Index. — The Department of Energy's EnergySmart Home Scale (E-Scale) is based off the HERS Index.

Similar to an automobile’s miles-per-gallon sticker, energy-efficient homes can have an energy-efficiency rating called the EnergySmart Home Scale^SM (E-Scale), which is based on the nationwide Home Energy Rating System’s HERS Index. A home with an E-Scale of zero generates as much energy as it consumes on an annual basis. While most existing homes have an E-Scale of 130 or higher, typical new homes in Florida have an E-Scale of about 90.
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FSEC Advises Residents on Energy-Efficient Purchases During Tax-Free Week

Sherri Shields Press Release October 4, 2006appliances, energy efficient, Energy Star, tax-free

Florida residents can save money on energy-efficient appliances and other products during a tax-free holiday from Oct. 5 to 11, and advice from Florida Solar Energy Center researchers can help residents make purchases that will cut their energy bills.

The sales-tax holiday coincides with Energy Efficient Week and applies to new products with the “Energy Star” label that cost $1,500 or less. Residents will save money long after they receive the tax break because they will use less energy throughout the life of the products.

The Gossamer Wind series ceiling fans, developed at the Florida Solar Energy Center at the University of Central Florida, are among the products that qualify for the tax savings. New refrigerators, washers and programmable thermostats also are eligible. Read more