Columbia Gas of Ohio and American Electric Power, which often compete, yesterday joined hands in unveiling a program to encourage new energy-efficient homes.
Under the program, the utilities pay builders $900 to $2,000 per home to add energy-saving features.
Utility representatives said they hope the effort will prompt prospective home buyers to pay more attention to a home's energy use.
"We really hope to transform the marketplace with this," said Columbia Gas President Jack Partridge.
All new M/I Homes models already meet Energy Star standards.
MaGrann touted the house's low Home Energy Rating Service score, which measures the amount of energy a home consumes.
A typical existing home has a HERS score of about 130, while a typical new home would score 100.
A typical Energy Star home would score 85, meaning it consumes 15percent less energy than an ordinary new home. The M/I Homes house scored 64, so it should use 36percent less than a typical new home.
"This would allow a homeowner to save $70 on a $200 monthly utility bill," MaGrann said.
The home achieved the score in conventional ways: by installing better wall insulation; using energy-efficient windows, appliances and light bulbs; and by tightly sealing the home and air ducts.
The program was publicly unveiled yesterday but has been in effect since September. Nearly 40 homebuilders have enrolled, including many of central Ohio's biggest: M/I, Dominion, Maronda, Ryan, Schottenstein, Bob Webb and the Columbus Housing Partnership.
To date, applications for 813 homes under construction have been submitted, about 600 of them in central Ohio, said Julia Hall, who administers the program for MaGrann. The process has been completed for about 130 homes, she said.
"We're going to put energy efficiency in the forefront of people's minds," Hall said.
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Sandro Geraldo Bagattoli
http://mercadoee.blogspot.com
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