EnergyStar Certified - New Homes and Apartments

1. Confirm eligibility: Verify your project is new residential construction (single-family home or multifamily apartment building). ENERGY STAR Certified New Homes applies only to new construction, not retrofits or existing homes.

1. Review current program specifications: Visit energystar.gov/newhomes to download the current ENERGY STAR Residential New Construction (RSNC) program requirements for your climate zone. Requirements vary by region and are periodically updated (e.g., ENERGY STAR NextGen specifications).

1. Register as an ENERGY STAR partner builder: Sign up as an ENERGY STAR partner through the EPA's online portal. This is required before any homes can be certified under your name.

1. Engage a certified HERS rater or third-party verifier: Identify and contract with an EPA-recognized HERS (Home Energy Rating System) rater or equivalent third-party verifier in your area. This rater will guide compliance and conduct required inspections.

1. Design and build to specification: Work with your architect, engineer, and trades to meet ENERGY STAR requirements, including thermal enclosure, HVAC system efficiency, water management, and air sealing standards. Complete required checklists during construction.

1. Undergo on-site inspections and testing: Your HERS rater will conduct inspections at key construction stages and perform blower door testing and duct leakage testing after construction is complete to verify performance.

1. Submit documentation: The HERS rater submits all completed checklists, test results, and compliance documentation to confirm the home meets current ENERGY STAR program specifications.

1. Receive the ENERGY STAR label: Once documentation is verified and approved, the home is awarded the ENERGY STAR label and listed in the EPA's online registry. You may now display the label in marketing materials.

ENERGY STAR Certified New Homes are evaluated across several key performance and construction quality areas, all verified through mandatory third-party inspection and testing:

Thermal Enclosure System: Inspectors verify that insulation is properly installed throughout the building envelope — walls, ceilings, floors, and foundations — with no gaps, voids, or compression. Windows and doors must meet efficiency thresholds appropriate for the climate zone. Air sealing at all penetrations, joints, and transitions is rigorously checked using the Thermal Enclosure System Rater Checklist.

HVAC Systems: Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems must be properly sized using Manual J load calculations, correctly installed, and verified for duct tightness. Duct leakage testing (using a duct blaster) confirms that conditioned air is not lost to unconditioned spaces. The HVAC System Quality Installation Contractor and Rater Checklists document compliance.

Water Management System: The home's design and construction must include features that manage bulk water intrusion, vapor diffusion, and drainage — protecting the building envelope from moisture damage and maintaining indoor air quality. This is documented via the Water Management System Builder Checklist.

Overall Air Leakage (Blower Door Test): A whole-house blower door test measures the total air leakage of the completed home. Results must meet the ACH50 (air changes per hour at 50 Pascals) threshold specified for the home's climate zone.

Energy Performance: The home's projected energy use is modeled and must demonstrate at least 10% better performance than a comparable home built to the IECC (International Energy Conservation Code) baseline, with additional efficiency measures required in many climate zones. ENERGY STAR NextGen specifications, introduced in recent years, raise the bar further with enhanced requirements for electrification readiness and indoor air quality.

ENERGY STAR Certified New Homes is the most widely adopted residential new construction energy efficiency program in the United States. Since its launch in 1995, the program has certified millions of homes and apartments, making it by far the dominant residential green certification in the U.S. market. Major national builders — including D.R. Horton, Lennar, PulteGroup, KB Home, and Meritage Homes — routinely certify large portions of their production under the program, and many utility companies offer rebates specifically tied to ENERGY STAR certification, further driving adoption.

The program's primary competitive advantage is its brand recognition: the ENERGY STAR label is one of the most trusted environmental marks among American consumers, with awareness levels that far exceed competing programs like LEED for Homes, the National Green Building Standard (NGBS), or DOE Zero Energy Ready Home. This consumer familiarity translates directly into marketing value for builders. However, ENERGY STAR's energy-only focus means it is sometimes seen as a baseline rather than a premium credential — builders seeking to signal a higher level of sustainability may layer LEED for Homes or NGBS on top of, or instead of, ENERGY STAR.

Market demand for ENERGY STAR certified homes has grown steadily alongside rising energy costs and increasing consumer awareness of home operating costs. The EPA's periodic updates to program specifications (including the introduction of ENERGY STAR NextGen requirements) have kept the standard relevant and technically credible. Regional adoption is strongest in states with active utility rebate programs and in markets with high energy costs. The program faces some competitive pressure from the DOE's Zero Energy Ready Home program, which is positioned as a more rigorous successor standard, but ENERGY STAR remains the volume leader in certified new residential construction by a wide margin.

The ENERGY STAR program was launched in 1992 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a voluntary labeling initiative originally focused on energy-efficient computers and monitors. The program expanded to residential new construction in 1995, when the EPA introduced ENERGY STAR Labeled Homes to help homebuyers identify newly built homes that met higher energy efficiency standards than typical construction. The U.S. Department of Energy joined as a co-administrator of the broader ENERGY STAR program in 1996, deepening the federal commitment and resources behind the label.

Over the following decades, the program grew substantially in scope and rigor. Early specifications required homes to be roughly 30% more efficient than the Model Energy Code; subsequent revisions tightened requirements and introduced climate-zone-specific standards to reflect regional variation in energy loads. A major overhaul in the early 2010s introduced the current checklist-based verification system — the Thermal Enclosure System, HVAC System Quality Installation, and Water Management System checklists — replacing the earlier HERS index-only approach with a more comprehensive construction quality framework. The program was later expanded to cover multifamily buildings, including low-rise and mid-rise apartments. In recent years, the EPA introduced ENERGY STAR NextGen specifications, which add requirements for electrification readiness and enhanced indoor air quality, positioning the program for the transition to all-electric and grid-interactive homes.