As energy codes continue ramping up, builders need to consider new ways to maximize incentives. Energy Trust of Oregon’s EPS™ New Construction offering has added new savings measures for 2019 to the previous suite of appliance measures, meaning more incentives for builders.
New in 2019:
| Equipment Type | Savings Threshold |
|---|---|
| Clothes dryers | > 2.62 Combined Energy Factor (CEF) |
| Clothes washers | > .807 Integrated Modified Energy Factor (IMEF) |
| Low-flow fixtures* | < 2 Gallons Per Flush (GPF) |
Continuing in 2019:
| Equipment Type | Savings Threshold |
|---|---|
| Refrigerators | < 691 kWh/year |
| Dishwashers | < 270 kWh/year |
*Savings recognized only in Washington
Maximizing your incentive with efficient appliances
Step 1: EPS New Construction builders work with verifiers to model and assess efficient features in each home, and how those features interact to influence a home’s energy use. High-performance equipment, identifiable by the ENERGY STAR® label, can boost energy savings in the home.
For a typical EPS home, replacing baseline appliances with efficient models commonly seen in the market can result in about $150 of additional builder incentives. Builders can work with EPS New Construction verifiers to determine incentive potential for their homes.
Home characteristics that have a big impact on home energy savings:
- Home size: Choosing high-performance equipment that is more efficient than the savings threshold (see tables above) lowers total consumption. These energy savings can help counterbalance issues typically seen in larger homes, such as whole home leakage (high air changes per hour).
- Occupancy: As occupancy (number of bedrooms) grows, homes that incorporate energy-efficient equipment will realize increasingly deeper savings due to an increase in savings as a percentage of energy use.
Step 2: Verifiers compare modeled energy use of the home against the energy use of similarly-sized homes that follow the minimum energy code standard. Energy Trust calculates incentives based on a home’s energy performance compared to code.
Appliances are a great place to focus when looking for easy ways to increase your incentives through the EPS New Construction offering. The resources below can help you find the measures and equipment that are right for you.
- ENERGY STAR: https://www.energystar.gov/#
- Consortium for Energy EfficiencySM–see qualifying products list: http://www.cee1.org/content/cee-program-resources
For more information contact the EPS New Construction trade ally team at 1.877.283.0698.