Centex Energy Advantage homes up to 40% more efficient than older homes
Centex Energy Advantage is now available in all to-be-built homes ordered in 10 neighborhoods around the
"In today's economic conditions, our customers are just as concerned about the cost of living in a house as the cost of buying it," said
Centex Energy Advantage homes are up to 40 percent more efficient than a typical 10-year-old home (as defined by the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America Program), according to a study commissioned with the NAHB Research Center.(2) Each Centex Energy Advantage home avoids 1.78 fewer metric tons of carbon dioxide per year than a comparable new home, according to the NAHB Research Center. That's roughly the same as the greenhouse gas emissions from the family automobile over four months or the CO2 emissions from about 183 gallons of gasoline consumed.(3)
Features of the Company's standard energy-efficiency package in
-- Energy monitor: real-time information about electricity usage and expense can lead to a 4-15 percent reduction in electricity use; (5) Centex is the first national homebuilder to announce the installation of an energy monitor in every home it builds -- Whirlpool brand ENERGY STAR(R) qualified appliances -- Lennox high-efficiency HVAC system(6) -- Programmable thermostat(s) -- Low-emissivity windows -- R-49 insulation in the attic -- Compact fluorescent lights in high-traffic areas -- Information for maximizing energy efficiency and minimizing the impact of home operation on the environment
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Editors' notes:
(1) Homes, prices, features and availability are subject to change. Inventory homes are subject to prior sale. (2) This study evaluated the energy efficiency gains attributable to these standard features in a variety of single-family floor plans typical of the Company's product line in the climate zones where the Company currently operates. Not all floor plans, building materials or construction techniques were evaluated in the study. Efficiency gains will vary for other plan types, building materials, construction techniques and change of climate zone. (3) Calculations are based on NAHB Research Center estimated efficiency of 1.78 metric tons of CO2 per home equipped with these standard energy-efficiency features, as determined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator" (see www.epa.gov). (4) The Centex Energy Advantage will be supplemented or otherwise adjusted as required by state and local codes. In several markets, the Company is currently building homes with components that exceed the combined efficiencies provided by these standard features. (5) Based upon published studies reviewed by the NAHB Research Center. (6) 14-SEER air conditioning or 90-percent AFUE furnace, depending upon climate zone. SEER is "seasonal energy efficiency ratio," a measure of seasonal or annual efficiency of a central air conditioner or air- conditioning heat pump that is the average BTUs of cooling delivered for every watt-hour of electricity used by the heat pump over a cooling season. AFUE is "annual fuel utilization efficiency," a measure of average combustion efficiency in a furnace or heating unit.
SOURCE Centex Corporation