Landlords

Information by State  Print version   Why ENERGY STAR? Lower utility bills: For buildings with master metering, reduce your operating costs by improving energy efficiency; reduce energy bills for homeowners and renters. Reduce maintenance: New HVAC systems, advanced controls and efficient lighting reduce maintenance demands. Reduce tenant turnover: Improve the comfort of building residents through better energy management. Increase property value: Improve the marketability of rental units by using energy-efficient products and practices. For More Information For questions, comments or further information on HUD's Energy Action Plan or HUD's energy initiatives, please email EnergyAction@hud.gov. or call (202) 402-2978.

Find information on ENERGY STAR qualified products in over 35 categories, including appliances, heating and cooling equipment, windows, lighting and exit signs. Use the energy-savings calculators to compare the annual savings of an ENERGY STAR qualified model with a non-qualifying model.

Locate rebates in your area on certain ENERGY STAR qualified products.

PRACTICES

ENERGY STAR offers a wide range of home improvement tools to help you assess and improve the efficiency of a single-family home.

• Home Energy Advisor - provides a list of recommended improvements and estimated savings
  
• Home Doctor - offers remedies for common house symptoms
  
• Home Remodeler - gives advice on home remodeling projects
  
• Home Sealing - a strategy for reducing energy losses and improving comfort

Building Performance Tools

Although developed for the commercial building sector, the following building performance tools can be useful to maintenance and engineering staff in multifamily buildings.

An Energy Management Strategy provides tools and resources to help each step of the way.

The Building Upgrade Manual will help you plan and implement profitable energy-saving building upgrades. Maximize energy savings by sequentially following building upgrade stages 1- 5: recommissioning, lighting, load reductions, fan systems, and heating and cooling systems.

Institutional Purchasing: Develop an institutional purchasing policy to purchase efficient products that reduce energy costs.

The Cash Flow Opportunity Calculator helps decision-makers answer three critical questions about energy efficiency investments:

• How much new energy-efficient equipment can be purchased from the anticipated savings?
  
• Should this equipment purchase be financed now, or is it better to wait and use cash from a future budget?
  
• Is money being lost by waiting for a lower interest rate?
  
• Find Expert Help: ENERGY STAR service and product providers can help identify, prioritize, and implement quality projects that will improve your total energy management.

HOMES

If you are investing in a new rental property, consider an ENERGY STAR qualified new homes. These homes are built to strict energy-efficiency guidelines using tried-and-true technologies and construction practices. Because ENERGY STAR qualified new homes use substantially less energy through more efficient heating, cooling, and water heating equipment, occupants can expect to save about $200-$400 annually on their utility bills.

Any single-family or multifamily residential building that is three stories or less in height can qualify to receive the ENERGY STAR label. This includes traditional site-constructed homes as well as modular, systems-built (e.g., insulated concrete forms, structural insulated panels), and HUD-code manufactured homes. To earn the label, a home must be least 30% more energy-efficient in its heating, cooling and water heating than a comparable home built to the 1993 Model Energy Code (MEC), and 15% more efficient than the state energy code.

Finance an ENERGY STAR Qualified Home
ENERGY STAR mortgages can help a homebuyer qualify for larger loans at their current income level. ENERGY STAR mortgages allow lenders to increase their loan amount by factoring in the home's estimated monthly utility savings. This means the homebuyer can purchase a larger house or extra options.

Find Help
Use the Partner Locator to find home builders that build ENERGY STAR qualified new homes, lenders that offer ENERGY STAR mortgages, utilities that offer special incentives to buyers and builders of ENERGY STAR qualified new homes, and home energy raters that can verify the energy efficiency of a home.