I guess this is for a small slice of readers. But if I was in the market for a home, and I Wanted to be frugal, I Would really consider an "Energy Star" home.

I find myself continually defending my big home to the assumptions we must get $500/month utility bills to heat such a monstrosity. I think, you have got to be kidding me!! We had a very small, rather new, well insulated condo in the late 90s and when we moved into a home twice as big our utilities went down. This is extra impressive considering we spent little time in our old condo and did not have laundry. Today there is someone home 24/7, we leave the house rather comfortable for the babies/small kids we've had the last few years, and we cook and do laundry (Washing diapers) daily. & with twice the space, our energy bills have gone DOWN.

We leave the thermostat 68 in the winter, 78 in the summer. Off at night (but it would never go above 80 or below 60 over night. WE also get cool night breezes so no need for air at night, though most of the summer days are 100 degrees +). IT's been into the 20s/30s over night but our house never gets below 60 degrees if we turn the heat off at 6pm and flip it back on the next morning. To be clear, I could live with much colder nights, but that is about where the house settles on the coldest of night. IT is usually 63 when I Wake up in the winter, on a more average morning.

Anyway, for comparison, on budget billing, our gas runs $30/month and our electricity runs $50/month. Our electricity is harder to peg since we were apparently under billed the first 4 years. They came out and fixed our meter and now we are paying more. We are about 10 months into that and are still figuring this out. We always assumed our energy efficient house meant insanely low bills. Whacked meter was part of the equation I guess. However, our gas is a mere $10/month or less (sometimes $5 in the summer, taxes and fees and all). But we get a few bigger bills in the winter. January was $101 (coldest month). So the average is $30).

But yes, the reason is we have an Energy Star home. These days they are putting in solar with these homes. which is really a great deal. I Can't say we paid any more for this house because it was Energy Star. IT was very competitively priced with the other new homes that did not meet the same standards. I would go as far to say as we didn't pay a penny more.

OF course, I forget some of the little details, like exactly what it was about the roof that made it so energy efficient, or the type of insulation they said they used. I should really dig out the old paperwork and refresh my memory. I don't know how they have upped the standards over time.

I think dh and I Were kind of like, "okay, whatever," at the time. We were very pleased with the appliances and dual-paned windows and such. & Sure, extra insulation sounded nice. But I think we chalked a lot of it up to marketing. (In fact we didn't buy the home at all because all of the energy efficient marketing. IT was more other reasons. Dh and I Could barely agree on a home and this is the only one we agreed on).

But 6 years later I have to say we are both very pleased. We have looked at a lot of older homes and an older, more mature neighborhood really appeals to us on many levels. But I am not sure we could ever moved backwards from the construction quality we have gotten used to on this house. WE are so spoiled with what we have.

But I did find this and found it to be VERY true.

http://www.infofaq.com/real-estate-analysis/energy-star-home...

"InfoFAQ: What are Energy Star Homes?

The U.S. Government reports that an Energy Star qualified home uses at least 30% less energy in heating, cooling and hot water, than those built according to the 1993 National Model Energy Code. Energy Star homes may save even more over homes built before 1993.

InfoFAQ: How is an Energy Star home built?

Using energy efficient technology, Energy Star homes are built with energy saving appliances, high performance windows, improved insulation, tightly sealed construction with little air infiltration, upgraded heating and air conditioning systems, efficient ducting, and upgraded water heating equipment.

InfoFAQ: How much money can an Energy Star home save?

Energy Star homes lower monthly utility bills by at least 30 percent. Energy Star homes also have a higher resale value. There are also potential savings by obtaining an energy efficient mortgage from an Energy Star lender.

InfoFAQ: How do Energy Star homes help the environment?

15 percent of U.S. energy use is from home consumption. Home energy use produces 17 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Since 1995, Energy Star homes have eliminated four million pounds of carbon emissions nationwide and the U.S. Government has set a goal of reducing greenhouse gases by 9 million metric tons through Energy Star qualified homes by the year 2012.

InfoFAQ: Is it healthier to live in an Energy Star home?

Yes. Energy Star homes are built with tight construction standards, including the air sealing of the joints, holes and seams created during construction. Condensation within the wall structure, which is responsible for mold formation, is also lowered or eliminated. This air sealing greatly reduces the penetration of outside air pollution, pollen, car exhaust, dust, radon and pest infestation.

InfoFAQ: But how comfortable is an Energy Star home to live in?

Because the home is air sealed and tightly constructed, cold drafts are virtually eliminated, outside moisture is greatly lowered, and the home is much quieter. Room temperature is equalized in different locations of the home. Air ducting is balanced, producing the same amount of air flow from each grill, even in remote rooms."

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Anyway, everyone keeps asking me how the hell our energy bills are low. So that is pretty much my answer. Our house is VERY quiet and very toasty in the winter and cool in the summer. We find it all to be very true. & we are very spoiled with that and our low energy bills.

Beyond all that, our home also has a lot of water saving measures as well. We pay a flat rate based on the size of our house, but they just recently switched to the ability to choose metered watering. So far we are cutting our water bill in HALF. I think that is much of why. We are quite conservative with water, having grown up in drought country. BUT I think they base their rates on old homes this size. We just don't use as much water with our appliances and low flow toilets, etc. We're also rethinking our landscaping to cut this down even more. IT is ridiculous to keep a bright green lawn in our desert summers. Which is probably where most of our water consumption goes. Hydrating the yard in the long, hot summer. Suburbia doesn't make much sense sometimes.