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SWA is Recognized for the Fourth Consecutive Year as ENERGY STAR Certified Homes Market Leader Award

APRIL 18, 2014

Steven Winter Associates (SWA) has been recognized by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a 2014 ENERGY STAR® Certified Homes Market Leader Award. The award recognizes SWA’s work in promoting energy-efficient construction and environmental protection by contributing to 320 ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2013. Collectively these homes will save homeowners approximately $96,000 on utility bills each year.

The number of ENERGY STAR certified homes SWA contributed to is equivalent to the greenhouse gases:

    Produced by 113 passenger vehicles annually;
    Emitted from burning 580,800 lbs of coal; and
    Saved by planting and growing 448 coniferous trees, such as pine or spruce, for ten years.

To earn the ENERGY STAR label, a home must meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that require an integrated approach to design combined with tried-and-true best building practices. These homes then undergo third-party verification of energy performance and are up to 30% more efficient than typical new homes built today.

“We are honored to be recognized for the fourth consecutive year as an ENERGY STAR Certified Homes Market Leader. We get immense satisfaction from helping our clients conserve resources, protect the environment, and improve health and safety,” said Karla Donnelly, Senior Sustainability Consultant at Steven Winter Associates.
ENERGY STAR certified homes offer homebuyers a new home that is built better from the ground up, and include value-adding energy efficiency features and a combination of materials and equipment that deliver better performance. Features like effective insulation systems, high performance windows, tight construction and ducts, properly-sized and installed efficient heating and cooling equipment, and energy-efficient lighting and appliances all add up to better comfort, better durability, and reduced utility and maintenance costs.

“ENERGY STAR partners provide 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.”
Together, families living in ENERGY STAR certified homes saved $558 million on their utility bills and avoided greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 643,000 vehicles last year alone. More than 90,000 new homes were constructed to meet ENERGY STAR guidelines in 2013, and more than 1.5 million ENERGY STAR homes have been built.

About SWA
Steven Winter Associates, Inc. provides research, consulting and advisory services to improve commercial, residential and multifamily built environments for private and public sector clients. The firm specializes in energy, sustainability and accessibility consulting as well as research and development; certification and compliance; analysis and testing; training and outreach; and other services. Our engineers and architects have led the way since 1972 in the development of best practices to achieve high performance buildings. As a matter of course, we collaborate with our clients to produce the most cost-effective and innovative solutions. For more information, visit http://www.swinter.com

About ENERGY STAR
Products, homes and buildings that earn the ENERGY STAR label prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency requirements set by the U.S. EPA. In 2013 alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved more than $30 billion on their utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the annual electricity use from 38 million homes. Since 1992, the ENERGY STAR program has supported efforts to find innovative solutions for reducing GHG emissions, and the ENERGY STAR label can now be found on products in more than 70 different categories, with more than 4.8 billion sold over the past 21 years. Over 1.5 million new homes and 23,000 buildings and plants have earned the ENERGY STAR label.