Energy Vanguard Recognized with ENERGY STAR Leadership Award

Energy Vanguard is pleased to announce that it has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a 2012 ENERGY STAR Leadership in Housing Award.  This award recognizes the important contribution Energy Vanguard has made to energy-efficient home construction and environmental protection by verifying nearly 300 ENERGY STAR qualified homes last year. 

The environmental benefits of these ENERGY STAR certified homes are equal to the equivalent of:

• Eliminating the emissions from 142 vehicles;
• Saving 428 tons of coal;
• Planting 234 acres of trees; or
• Saving the environment 1.7 million pounds of CO2 per year.

To earn the ENERGY STAR, a home must meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These homes can be more than 20% more efficient than standard new homes built today.

“We’re proud to have earned this award,” said Energy Vanguard founder and owner, Allison Bailes. “We don’t do home energy ratings ourselves, but we are the quality assurance provider to many independent home energy raters across the Southeast and beyond who are qualifying homes for this program. We’re happy to be working with companies like E3 Innovate in Nashville, TN and Dynamic Energy Consulting and Auditing in Macon, GA, our two leading rating companies in 2011.”

ENERGY STAR qualified homes offer homebuyers all the features they want in a new home, plus energy-saving features like effective insulation systems, high performance windows, tight construction and ducts, properly-sized and installed efficient heating and cooling equipment, efficient products, and third-party verification of energy performance.

“ENERGY STAR builder partners offer new homes that are designed and built to standards well above most others on the market today” said Jonathan Passe, Director of EPA’s ENERGY STAR Residential Branch. “Because ENERGY STAR certified homes undergo rigorous independent inspections and testing, homebuyers who choose ENERGY STAR can be confident that their new home will offer real energy efficiency, comfort, durability, and value for years to come.”

Last year alone, with the help of ENERGY STAR and partners, Americans saved nearly $400 million on their utility bills and avoided greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 510,000 vehicles. More than 1.3 million ENERGY STAR homes have been built in the United States since the program first began labeling homes in 1995.

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Today, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. More than 127,000 new homes were constructed to meet ENERGY STAR guidelines in 2011, by partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).