Lots of builders say they are green and certainly, code and building science have come a long way, but to truly know if your builder is doing above what is required you need an objective third party. That’s where the Austin Energy Green Building program comes in. We don’t just say we build green, we certify it.
AEGB is a voluntary program. We participate to be transparent about how our homes are built and because building green is an important value for Newcastle Homes.
Our homes are designed with sustainability in mind, working with Austin’s top architects to ensure our homes are situated on the lot to best endure Texas weather, that windows are located and sized to minimize heat gain, and that the materials and systems that clad, insulate, heat and cool the home are all working together to keep you comfortable while minimizing energy use.
We complete and extensive worksheet detailing the construction of the home and the products incorporated. Everything from insulation, appliances, HVAC, all the way down to landscaping and what toilets we used must be provided to our Austin Energy inspector to calculate an overall score and AEGB rating.
Our AEGB inspector visits the site once just after insulation to inspect various in-wall components and again at the end of the project. For both inspections, the goal is to verify that the products we installed are what we provided in documentation.
What gets inspected?
At completion, a third party energy report, the HERS Ekotrope, compares our home to the average Austin home and the inspector awards points based on that energy score and the verified worksheet to determine an AEGB star rating of 1 to 5. Our homes always garner at least a three star rating, but we typically attain a four star AEGB rating.
Let’s explore your options
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