This isn t just talk. Watt s homes meet the Environmental Protection Agency s Five Star standards, which means each house uses at least 30 percent less natural gas than a house built to the Model Energy Code. An independent analyst trained by Energy Rated Homes of Utah rates each home s energy efficiency. Moreover, an initial analysis of energy bills indicates that most of Watt s Utah homes use little more than half as much energy for space heating as average new homes in similar climates. All windows are low-E windows only in strategic energy locations.
Buyers can select among several energy packages.
Buyers can save a couple thousand dollars by downgrading to the Silver level. But after they learn about the paybacks, more than 90 percent go for the gold. Richardson, who started developing energy construction details in the mid-1980s, developed most of the details himself. He settled on the plan nearly a decade ago, but he periodically updates it based on new products, new field research, and the evolving market. We had to come up with techniques and systems that were basically dummy-proof, says Richardson.