Couple tout Energy Star

Elinor Evans-Hampton and Daniel Hampton moved to Las Vegas from Detroit last September, and are delighted with their new home. The recent retirees said the weather was a motivating factor in their decision to move.

"We had enough of snow and cold weather," Evans-Hampton said. "When we saw this neighborhood and these great homes, we decided to move. And when we realized our home was built to Energy Star standards, we knew we didn't need to be concerned about the heat. We learned that our Energy Star home would not only be comfortable even during the summer months, it would save us money on our utility bills."

The couple purchased a residence at a Perma-Bilt Homes neighborhood, which has sinced closed out. Evans-Hampton said although their home is nearly 700 square feet larger than their previous home, their power bills are lower than what they previously paid.

"I notice the difference mostly in the windows," she said. "There's no draft at all. Tight construction has undoubtedly reduced the amount of dust that filters into our home, particularly when it's windy outside. We have so much less dust in this house than I anticipated."

Hampton agreed.

"Even when we factor our hot tub into our power bill, it's still less than what we were used to paying," he said. "We're definitely fans of Energy Star and would buy another Energy Star home again if given a chance.

"We had the opportunity to watch our house being built. It was great seeing it go from empty desert to the finished product. We're proud to live here and prouder still that we did the right thing by buying an Energy Star home."

The couple's residence included all Energy Star-rated appliances; the only upgrade was the dishwasher.

Nevada Energy Star Partners is a voluntary coalition of Southern Nevada home builders, developers, retailers, finance companies, energy consultants and utility companies promoting energy conservation.

The program applies to all products that conserve energy and protect the environment, from appliances, electronics, lighting, windows and office products to homes and mortgages.

For more information, visit www.reviewjournal.com/real estate and click on the Energy Star link.

Real Estate home