A better shade of Green
At Meritage Homes, we’re not trying to follow the trend of going green like other builders. Instead, we’re pioneering a new standard for homes, taking energy efficiency to a level that only Meritage offers.
Meritage Homes is the only top-10 homebuilder that’s 100% ENERGY STAR® qualified at no additional cost. Every home we build comes with the best energy-efficient features, materials, and appliances – standard. That means that the green features other builders offer as options and upgrades are already included in your Meritage home. And we do it without sacrificing style or comfort.
But we don’t stop there. We take our responsibility to the environment very seriously, so we do much more than just build superior energy-efficient homes. From sustainable communities to our energy-conscious corporate office, we put green ideas in motion wherever possible. It’s not just part of our business as homebuilders. It’s part of our lives as well.
Meritage Green means every home we build includes these energy efficiency and/or environmentally friendly features:
Energy Star Certified Appliances
Appliances and home electronics are responsible for about 20% of a US homes’ energy bills. Devices carrying the Energy Star logo generally use 20%–30% less energy than required by federal standards by employing superior designs that require less energy to perform the same or better job. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that Energy Star appliances saved about $14 billion in energy costs in 2006 alone.
Minimum SEER 14
Heating and cooling homes accounts for nearly 60 percent of residential electricity usage in the United States. The higher the SEER of your unit, the greater its efficiency – and the lower your operating costs. Comparing with models 10 years old or older, cooling costs can be lowered 20 to 40 percent with newer, more efficient models.
Low-E Windows
Low-E coatings on Windows reduce energy loss by as much as 30 to 50 percent over regular windows. Low-E coatings, which are microscopically thin materials bonded to the surface of a window's glass, are so thin you can see right through them yet they prevent heat and ultra-violet (UV) rays from passing through the glass.
Low Flow Faucets
Every faucet and showerhead in a new Meritage home exceeds industry standards for water savings, reducing water bills and the cost of heating water by as much as 50 percent.
Programmable Thermostat
The average household spends more than $2,200 a year on energy bills. A programmable thermostat reduces residential energy use by adjusting the temperature according to a series of programmed settings that take effect at different times of the day. This allows the temperature difference to be reduced without sacrificing comfort. It is not unusual to achieve 30 percent heating and cooling energy usage reductions with the pre-programmed settings that come with ENERGY STAR qualified programmable thermostats.
Low VOCs paints and finishes
The EPA has identified indoor air pollution as one of the four greatest risks to human health. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are found around the home; cleaning solvents, adhesives, paints, and carpets all may emit VOCs. Many VOCs have negative health consequences. In recent years many common materials and products used indoors have been developed and are labeled by their manufacturers as "low VOC" or "zero VOC content” to improve indoor air quality. Today, many low VOC materials are equal or better in quality and durability than conventional VOC-based formulas.
Third Party Inspections
A home energy rating will consider: the construction & materials of the home, insulation levels, window/door types & efficiency, the window/door to wall area ratios, appliances and lighting (including the water heater), mechanical system (heating and cooling), the orientation of the house, the size of the conditioned area in square feet, and the leakage or air infiltration of the home envelope and duct work. The Home Energy Rating is completed from on-site visits using test equipment like the blower door and duct tester and from blueprints on new homes.