Denise Marshall of Ellicott City wants to make sure she does whatever she can to protect the environment.

That's why she's not only committed to recycling, but to ensuring that her home uses as little energy as possible.

In April, Marshall's family moved into an Energy Star home, meaning it is part of an Environmental Protection Agency's program that encourages energy efficiency.

The homes constructed to Energy Star standards typically cost a few thousand dollars more than ones built without the energy-saving features. But homeowners often pay lower monthly utility bills.

"It's a worthwhile investment," Marshall said.

About 57,000 of these homes have been built across the country during the past decade, and more homebuilders are expected to construct the houses as buyers and developers become more aware of the program. In Maryland, a campaign to increase awareness of building with the Energy Star label is being stepped up next year.

The features of an Energy Star home aren't easily seen, but they include improved insulation, energy-efficient appliances and low-E (emissivity) glass windows that retain heat in the home during the winter and keep it cool during the summer.

Most Energy Star homes cost from $1,000 to $3,000 more than standard homes. Experts said consumers save more in the long term because they could achieve a 30 percent reduction in utility bills compared with homes built to the standard energy code.

"My utility bills are $50 less per month than they were in previous homes" of relatively the same size, Marshall said.

She added that her low-E glass windows not only protect her family from harmful ultraviolet rays, but keep her furnishings from fading due to sunlight exposure.

"I can put a picture or sofa [near the window] and not worry," she said.

Energy Star's history

In 1992, the EPA began the Energy Star program as a voluntary effort offering businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions that would help them save money while protecting the environment.

The program initially began with producing energy-efficient computers, but has expanded to 35 categories, including products, homes, commercial office buildings and schools, said Maria Vargas, Energy Star's spokeswoman in Washington.

According to the EPA's 2001 annual report, about 1,600 homebuilders have constructed Energy Star homes, saving homeowners more than $15 million annually since the program began.

Additionally, more than 750 million products bearing the Energy Star label have been purchased since the program's inception.

Through voluntary efforts, including Energy Star, the report noted that Americans have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 38 million metric tons of pollutants, the same as taking more than 25 million cars off the nation's roads.

And consumers have saved more than 80 billion kilowatt hours and 10,000 megawatts of peak power, the amount of energy required to power more than 10 million homes, the report said.

Energy Star is now being promoted among federal agencies to improve energy efficiency in public-housing communities.

The Energy Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the EPA are to promote the purchase of Energy Star appliances by housing authorities.

HUD also is expected to construct Energy Star homes in future building projects.

Marketing tool

Most homebuilders say the Energy Star program has been a successful marketing tool for them, boosting sales while protecting the environment and helping consumers save on utility costs.

About a year ago, Beazer Homes, a national builder that constructs several projects in Maryland, began the process to become an Energy Star-certified builder and secured the distinction this past spring.

Beazer built Marshall's center hall Colonial home with 3 1/2 baths and four bedrooms in the upscale Hollifield Farm community in Ellicott City.

Twenty-seven of Beazer's 39 homes in the plan are slated to be Energy Star-certified.

Dan Gregory, general sales manager for the builder, said an energy rater approved by the EPA inspected the builders' homes during the Energy Star certification process.

Besides Hollifield Farm, Beazer is building Energy Star-certified homes in The Oaks at Garrison Forest in Owings Mills and the last phase at Marleigh in Bowie.

About five years ago, Harford County-based Barry Andrews Homes participated in a program similar to Energy Star run by Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. Builders were given a $2,000 rebate if they built energy-efficient homes, said Michael Brookhart, production manager for the builder.

"We used it as an advertising and marketing tool," Brookhart said.

BGE halts program

BGE discontinued its program after deregulation changed its business plan.

Barry Andrews then got involved with Energy Star. Brookhart said the programs helped improve sales for the builder. The company constructs about 240 single-family homes annually. All are Energy Star-certified.

"Today's buyers are a lot more aggressive" about energy conservation, Brookhart said.

Bob Ward Cos., another local builder, also began with the BGE program before moving to Energy Star. The company builds about 300 Energy Star homes annually.

"It's a good marketing tool, and it does save energy," said Marcy Loan, marketing manager for the builder. Loan said the company builds about 300 Energy Star homes annually.

Mortgage credits

Some mortgage companies also use the program to offer better financing options.

Al Samm, a mortgage loan officer with Chase Manhattan Mortgage in Towson, said Chase offers Energy Star homebuyers with Bob Ward Cos. a $500 credit toward closing costs.

"It's a wonderful incentive for the buyer," Samm said. "It's not a gimmick. We don't give the credit" and make the buyer pay elsewhere.

A person can't go wrong with the Energy Star program, according to Thomas Marston, vice president of Energy Services Group based in Wilmington, Del.

"Consumers save 30 percent more on energy bills with Energy Star," he said. "It's a no-brainer."

With electric bills in the region running about $1,000 a year, that translates into $300 annual savings, said Marston, an energy rater who contracts with builders to help them meet Energy Star's criteria for certification.

Marston evaluates a builder's plans through computer software using a scoring method to project potential energy problems in a home.

He also inspects the home, and, using a tool called a Blower Door, measures how well the builder sealed it.

In the Baltimore region, Marston said, 800 to 1,000 Energy Star-labeled homes are built annually, still far short of some states out West and in the South.

Marston expects the numbers in Maryland will rise next year when the state steps up advertising of the Energy Star program.

Walt Auburn, program manager of the Maryland Energy Administration, said Western cities are more likely to get involved with the program because their energy bills are higher.

To raise participation in Maryland, Auburn said the agency has begun a series of sessions to train energy raters.

Next class in April

"We had 11 people who went through the first course, and we plan to hold another class in April," Auburn said.

He said the Energy Department recently awarded the state agency a $150,000 grant to promote energy efficiency, including holding more training sessions for homebuilders.

A second grant from the department, for $50,000, will be used to help build a model solar energy home that includes a solar water heater.

"We're trying some new technology to [help consumers] use as little energy as possible," Auburn said.

On the Net

For more information about the Energy Star program, log onto www.energystar.gov, or call 888-782-7937.