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Energy Star Homes Program

Northern Colorado Builder:

We invite you to join a growing coalition of regional partners in the Northern Colorado ENERGY STAR® Homes program. This is an opportunity for leading builders to receive increased market exposure for progressive building practices. You're encouraged to attend a builder meeting on September 11 to learn more.

Nationally, ENERGY STAR New Homes is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. The ENERGY STAR label is a widely recognized brand for home and office products that meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency. It has also become a label used by leading builders to differentiate their homes, marketing the benefits of better comfort, increased durability, energy savings and improved indoor air quality. Participation is voluntary.

In the past, the ENERGY STAR label for homes has not been widely promoted in Colorado. That is about to change. Under the leadership of a campaign sponsored by the Colorado Governor's Energy Office (GEO), regional sponsors will work with GEO to greatly raise the public profile of the program. The Northern Colorado ENERGY STAR Homes coalition is comprised of cities, counties, utilities and participating home builders. The Northern Colorado (NoCO) program region covers the area just north of Denver to the Wyoming border, and Greeley west to Estes Park.

As part of this regional approach, program sponsors have conducted a study of typical features of homes being built in northern Colorado. It indicates that, in many cases, homes built to minimum code requirements exceed the performance requirements of the national ENERGY STAR program. To ensure meaningful differentiation for participating builders, NoCO sponsors have worked to develop a more stringent set of technical standards for this region. A Builder Advisory Group, convened by Vicki Wagner, President of the Homebuilders Association of Northern Colorado, supports the NoCO ENERGY STAR requirements. The EPA has approved them. New homes will receive the Northern Colorado ENERGY STAR Homes label either by meeting prescriptive standards, known as the Northern Colorado Builder Option Package (BOP), or by following a more flexible path based on a home energy rating. The basic NoCO BOP requirements are available.

The NoCO ENERGY STAR Homes program is just beginning. Training is planned for this fall, with a public launch in November. Marketing plans are being developed and a Web site will go live this fall. The profile of the label will ramp up in 2009. There is the potential for cash incentives to builders whose homes meet certain performance levels or include certain energy-efficient components. Subsidized baseline energy ratings are in the works. We invite you to become involved early as program details are still being shaped.

An upcoming builder information meeting provides a great opportunity to learn more about Northern Colorado ENERGY STAR Homes, the benefits for participating builders and how to get involved. Join us on Thursday, Sept. 11, 9 to 11 a.m. at the Columbine Café and Bakery, 902 W. Drake Rd. in Fort Collins. Sam Rashkin, National Director of the ENERGY STAR New Homes program, will be a featured speaker, together with representatives from the Governor's Energy Office and the NoCO ENERGY STAR Homes coalition. RSVP by September 5.

If you can't make the September 11 event but would like to stay informed as the program proceeds, please complete the Homebuilder Interest Form.

The world is changing. Consumer interest in energy, the environment and sustainability is at an all-time high. Energy costs are climbing. This is a great opportunity for all of us to work together to respond to the growing market demand for homes with lower energy bills and other important benefits. Please join us. If you have any questions or need additional information, please refer to the contact list.

Sincerely,

The Northern Colorado ENERGY STAR Homes Sponsors:

City of Fort Collins / Fort Collins Utilities
Larimer County
Platte River Power Authority
Poudre Valley Rural Electric Authority (representing Loveland and Estes Park)
Town of Berthoud
Xcel Energy
United Power
Town of Severance
Town of Windsor
Longmont Power and Communications