The nationally syndicated newspaper column “The Housing Scene” featured a story urging consumers to seek the ENERGY STAR label and HERS® Index Score when shopping for a home. The story, “To Go Green, Look for the Blue Label”, states “In the 1970s, clothing shoppers were advised in a popular advertising jingle from the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union to ‘look for the union label.’ In that same spirit, anyone shopping for an energy-efficient home today would be well-advised to look for the sky-blue Energy Star label.” The column also explains Home Energy Ratings and compares the HERS® Index Score to the miles-per-gallon sticker on new automobiles. “With cars, though, you want a higher number, while with houses, you are better served with a lower number”, the story advises. Gene Myers, chief executive officer of New Town Builders in Denver stated that his company’s homes are consistently in the 40s, which means they are super-efficient. To see how his homes measure up to the competition, buyers can simply compare New Town’s HERS® scores with those of other builders. “All you have to do,” Myers says, “is say, ‘Show me your HERS® score.” “We’ve staked our future on HERS,” adds Rene Oehlerking, the marketing director at Garbett Homes which builds in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. The story states that “so have members of the Lexington, Ky.”, home builders association, which last month signed a memorandum of understanding with RESNET committing to encourage every member to participate in the Energy Star program. The column also introduced RESNET, stating that “along with creating HERS, the independent nonprofit network is dedicated to creating a market for home energy ratings and to training independent contractors to rate homes fairly and consistently.” The column was written by Lew Sichelman whose columns appears in newspapers nationwide including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Houston Chronicle, San Diego Union-Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle and the Sarasota Harold-Tribune. To view the column click on To go green, look for the blue label | HeraldTribune.com
