ENERGY STAR Homes

Value & Benefits

Excellent benefits are provided to homebuilders who construct ENERGY STAR qualified homes within the service territories of the Program Sponsors. A few of these benefits are listed below.

2010 Financial Incentives
Marketing and Sales Assistance
Training Information
Free Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs)

2010 Financial Incentives
The Program will award monetary incentives to homebuilders who complete and submit certification of the construction of new ENERGY STAR qualified homes between January 1, 2010 and December 10, 2010 within the territories of the Program Sponsors. Below are the base incentive packages available for energy-efficient homes that are completed prior to December 15, 2011. Homebuilders must work with their HERS Rater who will submit incentives on their behalf. The actual incentive amounts you receive will be contingent upon the final performance of the home and the verification of energy efficient measures installed by a certified HERS Rater.

Package	Requirements	Single-Family Incentive^[1]	Multi-Family Incentive^[2]
			5-99 units	100-199 units	200+ units
CODE Plus	6 ACH CFM 50, 8 percent duct leakage	$325	$225.00	$225.00	$225.00
ENERGY STAR I	ENERGY STAR compliance with a minimum HERS Index of 85 or less	$750	$650.00	$500.00	$350.00
ENERGY STAR II	ENERGY STAR compliance with a minimum HERS Index of 85 or less and 30% improvement or better over the Massachusetts Baseline Home	$1,250	$1,150.00	$850.00	$550.00
ENERGY STAR III	ENERGY STAR compliance with a minimum HERS Index of 85 or less and 60% improvement or better over the Massachusetts Baseline Home	$8,000.00	$4,000.00^[3]	$3,000.00^[3]	$2,000.00^[3]
[1] A single-family unit is defined as either detached or up to four attached units. Five or more attached units are classified as multi-family. [2] A multi-family project must be five stories or below to qualify and be residentially permitted. [3] ENERGY STAR III multi-family projects will be reviewed for final fee structure; listed are the maximum incentives paid by Program Administrators. All incentive amounts are subject to change. Percent improvement above code from the MA Baseline Home is applicable for 2010 units. Mixed-use (Residential/C&I) Buildings may participate if they are permitted in the commercial use group as long as they fall within the EPA's policy on qualifying units in multi-family buildings.

Incentives for Energy Efficiency Measures
Homebuilders who submit an application to the Program can also apply for incentives for the following energy efficiency measures in addition to the incentives described above. These incentives are supported through GasNetworks, Cool SMART and the ENERGY STAR appliances program but can be applied for directly through the homes program.*

Package	Measure	Specification	Sponsor Incentive^[2]
ENERGY STAR Appliances	ENERGY STAR Qualified Refrigerator and Dishwasher	Must be installed in all units	$100 per package^[3]
ENERGY STAR CFLs	Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs)	CFLs are required to participate. 80% of the sockets in the home must have CFLs. You have the option of installing them yourself or your rater will install them at final inspection.	FREE
COOL SMART	Central Air Conditioning Equipment or Air Source Heat Pump	SEER 14.5, EER 12 or HSPF of 8.2	$300
COOL SMART	Central Air Conditioning Equipment and Air Source Heat Pump	SEER 15, EER 12.5 or HSPF of 8.5	$400
COOL SMART	Ductless Mini-split Systems^[1]	SEER 14.5, EER 12 or HSPF of 8.5, TXV or EXV required	$500
GasNetworks^[1]	High Efficiency Natural Gas Furnace	AFUE 92% or greater	$400
GasNetworks^[1]	Natural Gas Furnace with ECM^[1]	AFUE 92% or greater	$500
GasNetworks^[1]	Natural Gas Furnace with ECM^[1]	AFUE 94% or greater	$650
GasNetworks^[1]	Natural Gas Hot Water Boilers^[1]	AFUE 85% or greater	$500
GasNetworks^[1]	Natural Gas Hot Water Boilers^[1]	AFUE 90% or greater	$1,000
GasNetworks^[1]	Natural Gas Indirect Water	Attached to natural gas boiler	$500
GasNetworks^[1]	Natural Gas On-Demand Tankless Water Heater	.82EF or greater with ignition	$700
GasNetworks^[1]	ENERGY STAR® Water Storage Heater	.62EF or greater	$50
GasNetworks^[1]	Combined High-Efficiency Boiler and Water Heating Unit	AFUE 85% or greater with hot water storage of 2 gallons or less	$1000
GasNetworks^[1]	Combined High-Efficiency Boiler and Water Heating Unit	AFUE 90% or greater with hot water storage of 2 gallons or less	$1600
GasNetworks^[1]	Programmable Thermostat	ENERGY STAR labeled or 7-day programmable thermostat	$25^[4]

[1] Visit gasnetworks.com or mycoolsmart.com for more rebate information

[2] Incentive amounts are subject to change without notice.

[3] Incentive for ENERGY STAR appliances is only available to income qualifying units

[4] There is a two-rebate limit per account, and the rebate cannot exceed the price of the thermostat.

Other Available Incentives and Rebates
Apart from the Program, homebuilders may also qualify for additional incentives for qualifying energy-efficient equipment, such as; appliances, gas heating and water heating, cooling and renewable energy systems. To find out more information or to apply for these incentives, visit the web sites indicated below:

Program	Performance Standards	Additional Information
National Grid Technology Demonstration	Solar Water Heater	www.PowerofAction.com
Renewable Energy Trust	Renewable Energy Systems, LEED, MA Green	www.masstech.org/renewableenergy/index.html
MA Tax Credit	Solar Heat, PV, Wind, Water	www.mass.gov/doer/programs/renew
DSIRE	Database of Efficiency Incentives Available in MA	www.dsireusa.org

Marketing and Sales Assistance

ENERGY STAR has become the signifying brand of energy efficiency that consumers trust. The Program will provide homebuilders with the assistance necessary to leverage the ENERGY STAR brand and gain an advantage in the competitive real estate market. Our 2010 Partners will receive the following:

Exposure in a state-wide marketing outreach campaign to build ENERGY STAR brand awareness, promote the benefits of owning an ENERGY STAR qualified home, and direct homebuyers to ENERGY STAR homebuilder partners
Assistance to successfully integrate ENERGY STAR messaging into homebuilders’ marketing and sales strategies
Access to FREE ENERGY STAR marketing and sales tools that include logos, advertisement and fact sheet templates, signage and brochures that convey the benefits of owning an ENERGY STAR qualified home and reinforce the message of the Program’s marketing outreach activities

Technical Assistance and Training

The Program will provide homebuilders with the technical assistance and training necessary to improve their homes’ energy performance, receive other incentives and/or tax credits, and certify their homes earn the ENERGY STAR. Homebuilders should work with an independent HERS Rater for guidance through the technical aspect of meeting ENERGY STAR guidelines. The following services are available in 2010:

Plan reviews to help determine the most cost-effective upgrades for meeting the ENERGY STAR guidelines and exceeding local residential energy code standards
On-site technical assistance and training on energy-efficient construction practices and approaches to meet the ENERGY STAR specifications
Diagnostic testing required to certify the home is built to the performance specifications necessary to receive the incentives awarded by the Program and, if applicable, will earn the ENERGY STAR
Guidance on other incentives and federal tax credits available to homebuilders for eligible energy-efficient technologies
Technical training workshops
There is a cost associated with the home certification and services provided by the HERS Raters. Certification costs vary based on the complexity of the home. The HERS Rater will provide a cost estimate to the homebuilder. Financial incentives are available from the Program to defray these costs (see Financial Incentives).