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About High-Performance and ENERGY STAR Certified Homes

Buying a new home is one of the biggest purchases you'll ever make. Remove the stress from your decision by choosing a High-Performance home verified by AEP Texas. You can have the house of your dreams and enjoy peace of mind knowing it was built to meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency.

Two types of homes are constructed through the AEP Texas High-Performance Homes Program: High-Performance homes and ENERGY STAR® certified homes. Both types of homes are built to meet high standards for energy efficiency, but ENERGY STAR homes meet a more stringent set of requirements to earn the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR label.

Contact a participating homebuilder today to learn more.

Are you a homebuilder? Contact us to learn more about the benefits of participating in the AEP Texas High-Performance Homes Program.

High-Performance Homes

family in kitchenA home built through the AEP Texas High-Performance Homes Program uses less energy than a home built to the minimum residential energy code and provides you with a better lifestyle for less money. These homes offer you all the features you want in a new home, plus energy-efficient improvements that deliver better performance, greater comfort, a healthier environment for your family, and reduced energy costs.

Reduced Energy Costs: By using less energy for heating, cooling, and water heating, high-performance homes deliver monthly savings on utility bills. Over the seven to eight years a typical family lives in a home, you can save thousands in operating and maintenance costs.

Enhanced Performance: In a high-performance home, you'll enjoy greater comfort with consistent temperatures between and across rooms. Tight ducts and construction minimize excess humidity, dust, pollen, and bugs, enhancing indoor air quality.  Windows that block damaging sunlight, and higher-grade equipment also contribute to improved durability.

Environmental Protection: The energy used in our homes often comes from the burning of fossil fuels at power plants. By using less energy to operate, high-performance homes help to prevent air pollution and reduce the need to build costly power plants.

ENERGY STAR Certified Homes

ENERGY Star labelENERGY STAR is the nationally recognized symbol for energy efficiency, as designated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. You have probably seen the ENERGY STAR label when shopping for energy-efficient electronics and appliances. You can own an entire home that has earned the ENERGY STAR label.

An ENERGY STAR certified home includes the benefits described above for an AEP Texas High Performance Home, but also meets a more stringent set of requirements to earn the ENERGY STAR label. When rigorous ENERGY STAR requirements are applied to new home construction, you get a home that’s built better from the ground up. The combination of a fully integrated approach to design and construction with tried-and-true building practices adds up to a home with better durability, better comfort, and reduced utility and maintenance costs. Plus, you’ll rest easy knowing your home has undergone more rigorous inspections and testing than typical homes.

Specially certified professionals, trained in advanced building science, work with ENERGY STAR homebuilders to select the most appropriate energy-efficient features for their homes and provide the independent verification necessary to earn the ENERGY STAR label. After a home meets these requirements and passes a set of performance tests, an ENERGY STAR label and certificate for the home are issued by the independent Home Energy Rater. Look for the ENERGY STAR label, which should be prominently displayed on the home’s circuit breaker box. You can also ask your homebuilder for the home’s ENERGY STAR certificate.

Visit the national ENERGY STAR website to learn more.