For most of us, buying a new home is the largest investment we will ever make. And we do so with the expectation that we will get a good return on our investment should we decide to sell. For that to happen, we are hoping and betting that the home will appreciate in value. While there is no sure way to predict home values in the future since much depends on external factors, like when you sell and where you live, building or buying a home that is certified as a high-performance home is a great way to hedge your bet.
Not all homes are constructed equally. Sure, some may look the same, and both may appear to be of high-quality energy efficient construction, but how can a homebuyer be sure that the home is truly what it is represented to be? The only way to be sure is to ask for proof—a certificate that officially recognizes the home as a high-performance home.
During the last few years, Villanueva Construction has been a serious leader in building high-performance homes. For two years in a row, the company was recognized for building the most homes in the BUILT TO SAVE™ program, a high-performance home program sponsored by Magic Valley Electric Cooperative.
Divine Custom Homes was once again recognized by AEP Texas for building the home with the highest kWh savings from among those entered in its High-Performance Homes Program for 2018. The award is not new to Olga Treviño, the company’s builder/owner, having received it last year, as well.
The Rio Grande Valley’s only 100% ENERGY STAR® Partner that includes airPlus, BUILT TO SAVE™, and GreenBuilt RGV certifications on every home they build.
The 2018 High Performance Home Workshop was held on Thursday, Oct 25th, at the United Way of South Texas facility in McAllen. Builders attending the workshop learned new strategies for differentiating themselves from those building to minimum code, and, more importantly, how energy efficient certifications provide the utmost in value for homebuyers: compliance with state code law, utility savings, homes that are healthier and more comfortable, reduced cost of home ownership in the long term, and future selling advantages with higher resale values.
Meet the builders who have stepped up to a leadership role in the construction of energy efficient, high-performance homes in the Rio Grande Valley—superior in every way to code-built homes.
Divine Custom Homes is the only builder in the Rio Grande Valley that builds 100% of their homes as qualified ENERGY STAR® homes; this automatically certifies the homes as BUILT TO SAVE™, as well. Even more, the company demonstrates concern for the environment by adding the EPA’s Indoor airPLUS label to their ENERGY STAR® qualified homes and “green building” through certifying their homes as “GreenBuilt RGV.”
The visual beauty of Innovative Construction’s homes, both exteriors and interiors, is impressive, and the company is consistently winning awards for their design and craftsmanship. Yet what is under all that beauty is even more impressive because Innovative Construction is a builder member of the BUILT TO SAVE™ program. This means the company has their homes inspected during construction and tested upon completion to make sure they meet the strict energy efficiency requirements of the program.
Rich Heritage has long been recognized for excellence in construction by the RGV Builders Association for their Parade of Homes entries, and the company has acquired many awards. Indeed, their homes are master-crafted works of art. But more importantly, their BUILT TO SAVE™ certified homes combine both the exquisite craftsmanship Rich Heritage is known for with inspected and tested construction—built for high-performance efficiency.
If looking for perfection in design, craftsmanship, and energy efficiency in a new home, definitely consider Villa Homes. Their homes have special touches and designer features that are not add-on upgrades but are standard. This year, their entry in the Rio Grande Valley 2018 Parade of Homes took “Best of Show” among other awards—a testament to excellence in Villa Homes’ design and construction.
What happens when you combine exceptional beauty with exceptional energy efficiency in a new home? You get a Villanueva Home! In the 2018 RGVBA Parade of Homes, they received the award for “Most Energy Efficient Home.” In addition, the company has been recognized with an award for building the highest number of BUILT TO SAVE™ homes in 2017, and is on track to receive the award again at the end of 2018 with an even higher number of BUILT TO SAVE™ homes.
Meet an established supplier of residential and commercial insulation products with a reputation for quality installation and service at an affordable price.
BUILT TO SAVE™ is an energy-efficiency certification program which recognizes new homes that outperform minimum code building requirements. With the help of the BTS program and third-party inspectors, the builder is guided through a process which leads to certifying their homes as high-performance. In this blog post, we present to you with some of the most common energy performance issues, and we also present to you the benefits of owning a “BUILT TO SAVE” certified home.
A typical home has a half-mile of cracks and gaps around the home’s envelope, including windows, doors, and numerous holes within the framework from plumbing, lighting, electrical wiring, and ductwork—yes, one half-mile.
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