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Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR

Home plans that are qualified as Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR include requirements for the energy-efficient features and construction details typically found in ENERGY STAR qualified homes—tight construction and duct systems, properly installed insulation, high performance windows, efficient heating and cooling equipment, and ENERGY STAR qualified lighting and appliances.

When built, Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR home plans will result in a home that is at least 15 percent more energy efficient than a home built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC), and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20–30 percent more efficient than standard homes.

How are home plans qualified as Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR?

Architects and designers who want to label a home plan as Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR must submit it to a Home Energy Rater for review.
These raters are experienced in evaluating home plans to help you choose the most appropriate and cost-effective approaches for meeting ENERGY STAR guidelines.

Find a Home Energy Rater near you.

Each home plan can be evaluated in one of two ways:

  • Using the performance path, the home plan is modeled with specialized computer software to estimate the as-built home’s energy use based on the specifications of the home plan. The results of this analysis help you identify the most effective upgrades needed to meet ENERGY STAR requirements
  • Using the prescriptive path, the home plan is reviewed for consistency with an EPA-developed climate-specific construction specification called a Builder Option Package (BOP). Based on extensive analyses, BOP specifications have been determined to result in homes that consistently meet ENERGY STAR guidelines.

The rater will also verify that your home plan contains all other elements required for it to be labeled as Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR using the Plan Review Checklist PDF (298KB). You can download this Checklist as a fillable PDF that you can complete electronically.

ENERGY STAR Label

Does qualifying a home plan as Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR mean that the home will be ENERGY STAR qualified?

A home built according to a Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR home plan does not automatically earn the ENERGY STAR qualified home label (image right). Field verification, including onsite inspections and testing by a Home Energy Rater and completion of a Thermal Bypass Checklist, is required to ensure that energy-saving measures specified in the home plan are incorporated into the as-built house. This field verification may or may not be performed by the same rater who reviews the home plan.

Materials needed to qualify home plans as Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR

Attached Documents:

  • Projected HERS rating or ENERGY STAR BOP checklist
  • ENERGY STAR Thermal Bypass Checklist with all N/A items checked
  • Any required specifications not already included on the plan
  • Plan Review Checklist PDF (298KB)

Information on Plan (Floor Plan, Specifications, or Details):

  • Note stating that field verification by an EPA-approved verifier is required for the home to earn the ENERGY STAR
  • Note stating that space cooling system sizing calculations must be provided and verified for the home to earn the ENERGY STAR
  • Wall sections delineating complete thermal boundary of home
  • Tight construction details and performance specifications
  • Thermal Bypass Checklist air barrier installation details and/or specifications
  • Proper insulation installation details and performance specifications
  • R-values of insulation assemblies
  • Window and door specifications
  • Water heater specifications
  • Heating and cooling equipment specifications
  • Tight duct details and performance specifications and/or layout for ductwork and air handlers in conditioned space
  • Required ENERGY STAR qualified products
  • Critical plans and trade details in languages appropriate to the prevailing trade labor pool is recommended, but not required

Additional Information on Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR: