TVA Sponsors More than 250 Energy Efficient Homes

Earns 2008 Energy Star Award from EPA

June 16, 2008

TVA assisted more than 250 Tennessee Valley homes last year with energy efficiency improvements that collectively will save more than $110,00 each year on utility bills.

As a result, TVA received a 2008 Energy Star Leadership in Housing Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognizing TVA’s contributions to energy-efficient construction and environmental protection.

 “TVA, in partnership with local power distributors, has a history of helping make homes more energy efficient through its energy right© program, and we intend to do even more going forward,” said TVA Vice President of Energy Efficiency and Demand Response Joe Hoagland. “We are working to reduce the growth in power demand by the end of 2012 by 1,400 megawatts–about the amount of power needed to serve all the homes in a city the size of Nashville."

 Under the energy right© program, TVA offers financial incentives to home owners and builders through local power distributors for energy efficiency improvements made to all-electric homes. The more efficient the home, the higher the incentive is. The highest level incentive available is provided for Energy Star certified homes.

Energy Star, introduced by EPA in 1992, is a voluntary market-based partnership program to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Homes that earn the Energy Star must meet strict EPA guidelines for energy efficiency.

According to EPA, environmental benefits of the more than 250 TVA-sponsored Energy Star homes in 2007 are equivalent to eliminating the emissions from about 123 vehicles, saving 741,000 pounds of coal, planting about 203 acres of trees or eliminating more than 1.4 million pounds of carbon dioxide from the environment per year.

Energy Star homes include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20 to 30 percent more efficient than standard homes, such as effective insulation, high performance windows, tight construction and ducts, efficient heating and cooling, and Energy Star qualified lighting and appliances.

Hoagland said that TVA’s energy efficiency initiative is initially targeted at helping homeowners learn how to conserve energy by being more energy efficient. For information about completing an energy audit for your home and receiving a free starter conservation kit, visit www.energyright.com.

In 2007, more than 120,000 new homes in the United States were constructed to meet Energy Star guidelines, bringing the total number of Energy Star qualified homes to almost 840,000. EPA reports that owners of these homes are saving more than $200 million annually on their utility bills.

Energy Star offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment from future generations. More than 9,000 organizations are Energy Star partners, committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses. More information about Energy Star is available online at www.energystar.gov.

TVA is the nation’s largest public power provider and is completely self-financing. TVA provides power to large industries and 159 power distributors that serve approximately 8.8 million consumers in seven southeastern states. TVA also manages the Tennessee River and its tributaries to provide multiple benefits, including flood damage reduction, navigation, water quality and recreation.

Media Contact

Jim Allen, Knoxville, (865) 632-7453
TVA News Bureau, Knoxville, (865) 632-6000

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