Given the rugged winter the area has recently experienced, and windy spring and fall seasons, topics such as energy efficiency are important aspects of homeownership. Bill Hill, a long-time Spencerport resident and owner of Hi-Qual Heating and Cooling Inc., recently built a new home on Big Ridge Road that is super energy efficient. The home's efficiency rating is way above even the Energy Star requirements. Hill said besides enjoying much lower energy bills, and a warmer home, he plans to use his house as a model for future customers. After all, it has all the bells and whistles anyone could imagine. The home is equipped with an energy recovery ventilator, a 96 percent efficient furnace, low E Argon windows, and a 92 percent efficient boiler with instantaneous hot water capability. It has several other features that help to make it so energy efficient. Hill used contractors that Hi-Qual works with to do the work. He said the finished product makes him proud. "This house is a good representation of the type of work we do at Hi-Qual," said Hill. "We've built our business around supplying nothing but the best to our customers." Robert Susz, with Healthy Homes, is one of the contractors that helped make Hill's home what it is. According to Susz, there are only four requirements to build an Energy Star home in New York. 1. The home must have reduced electricity consumption, usually achieved with compact fluorescent bulbs or Energy Star labeled appliances. 2. The home must have an automatic ventilation system to provide fresh air for the people. Modern homes are built "too tight" in order to prevent ice dams, cold drafts, insects, and to lower energy consumption. As a result, they do not "breathe" like older homes. Energy Star homes have ventilation systems to insure a proper amount of air is exchanged in the home. 3. The house has to score 86 or better on the Home Energy Rating System scale. This can be accomplished with any number of construction types; 2x4, or 2x6, different insulation types, added insulation, better windows, better furnaces, etc. There are tradeoffs in the process, no strict rules for how the home is constructed. 4. The builder (or owner-builder) has to work with a HERS rater. The rater determines what the score is for the home with computer software, inspects the insulation levels, ductwork layout, and other construction details to insure that the customer gets what they pay for. Homeowners are opting to comply with Energy Star guidelines for several different reasons including quality, comfort, value and piece of mind. With greatly reduced energy bills, Energy Star homeowners are finding a return on their investment sometimes as quickly as two years. Energy Star is not just for new homes. Individuals interested in having their home modified to meet the Energy Star standards may call a company like Healthy Homes. "Ultimately, they will need to have the home tested and rated ... if they have already made an investment in insulation, windows, and high efficiency furnaces, the energy performance of their home will be better and they may qualify," said Susz. "Many times the difference between an existing home and an Energy Star home is a small amount of work." |
