The Touchstone Energy® Home is a home designed to be more energy efficient, less expensive to operate, cleaner, safer and more comfortable than today’s standard models. They provide greater comfort and lower energy bills than traditionally built homes. In fact, they’re typically 48 percent more efficient. While heating and cooling account for roughly half of the average home’s energy bill, they typically take up just 20 percent of a Touchstone Energy® Home’s costs. Builders receive special training to understand all the aspects of building the homes. Among the many benefits of Touchstone Energy Homes:
- Receive preliminary energy ratings before construction begins and a verification of energy ratings once the house is completed
- Include a one-year heating and cooling cost guarantee
- Use less electricity, so they are more environment friendly than traditional homes
- Have lower-than-normal monthly utility bills throughout the life of the home
- Employ construction techniques that eliminate drafts and temperature gradients that make homeowners feel colder or warmer than they actually are
- May qualify for larger mortgages than comparable conventional homes.
The Touchstone Energy® Home features are:
- R-19 wall insulation minimum (materials to achieve R-19 is not specified)
- R-42 attic insulation minimum (materials to achieve R-42 is not specified)
- Attic ventilation with ridge vent and aerated soffit
- Conditioned crawlspace with perimeter R-10 insulation and moisture control
- Double pane, Low-E windows and glass doors
- Insulated exterior doors
- Whole house infiltration control to help prevent air leaks (The Energy Star® thermal by-pass checklist is used)
- Externally vented exhaust systems in bathrooms and kitchen
- Exterior house wrap and window wrap
- Weep holes in place on brick or stone cladding
- Heating and cooling ducts located in conditioned space (no flex duct)
- Energy-efficient electric water heating with a .94 energy factor* or better
- *50 gallon unit specification
- High-efficiency electric heat pump or geothermal unit
- HVAC equipment is sized and installed per the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) and Energy Star® standard
- Size is based upon energy rater load calculation, plus 15 percent or 6,000 Btuh’s, whichever is less. (Northern Indiana HVAC equipment load calculation limits sizing to energy rater load calculations plus 25 percent or 6,000 British Thermal Units per Hour (BTUH) whichever is less)
- Air source heat pumps must be ARI rated (ASHP-HSPF 8.5) with a minimum 14 SEER
- Geothermal closed loop units are required to rate out at a minimum coefficient of performance (COP) 3.3 for heating and an Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) 14.1 for cooling
- Open loop systems must rate out at COP 3.6 and EER 16.2 or better
- Programmable thermostats are put in place and have “adaptive recovery” technology to prevent the excessive use of electric back-up heating
The Touchstone Energy® Home standards apply to new and existing homes with owners who want a more energy efficient, comfortable and durable home.
For more information, please contact Laura Matney, Residential Energy Advisor at lauram@wvpa.com or 317.481.2873
