POCONO LAKE, PA – Liberty Homes Custom Builders, dedicated to helping homeowners save energy costs for more than 35 years, reports that data from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is consistent with the Monroe County’s builder’s mission to keep long term operating costs for home owners at the lowest possible.
John Holahan, president of Liberty Homes, says the NAHB found that homes built before 1960 have average maintenance costs of $564 a year, while a home built after 2008 averages $241. Similarly, operating costs average nearly 5 percent of the home’s value for pre-1960 structures, while they average less than 3 percent when the home was built later than 2008. NAHB’s study first looked at how utility, maintenance, property tax and insurance costs vary depending on the age of the structure. Using data from the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2011 American Housing Survey, NAHB found that buyers could purchase a more expensive, newer home and achieve the same annual operating costs as an older, existing home.
The study then compared the first year after tax cost of owning a home by the year the house was built, taking into account the purchase price, mortgage payments, annual operating costs and income tax savings. This data showed that a buyer could afford to pay 23 percent more for a new house than for one built before 1960 and still maintain the same amount of first year annual costs. While the NAHB study says mortgage payments will be greater with the higher purchase price of a newly-built home, the lower operating costs mean the home buyer will have annual costs that are about the same as if they’d bought a lesser-priced, older home with a smaller mortgage payment and higher operating expenses.
Other benefits of new homes include open space floor plans, creative storage options and entertainment resources that cater to modern lifestyles, as well as the safety consideration that the structure was built and wired to modern codes and standards.However, a newly reintroduced Senate bill would allow lenders to include projected energy savings from energy efficient upgrades for homebuyers purchasing energy-efficient properties. This proposed bill by Senator Johnny Isakson and Senator Michael Bennet says consumers should get credit for energy-saving construction materials, which are often “out of sight and out of mind and are not valued,” according to aJune 6, 2013 New York Times article published.
Minimizing the amount of energy a home uses, translates to increasing “the amount of dollars in the pockets of the homeowners,” says Holahan, an evangelist of energy efficiency for years. Liberty Homes is affiliated with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy programs on green building practices, indoor air quality, water savings, Energy Star performance, and the benefit to the environment,” said John Holahan, president of Liberty Homes. “We are using agency affiliation and guidance to deliver safe, comfortable and affordable homes, and the third party nod from the EPA and DOE is an important one,” Holahan believes. “We are giving people a healthy, safe, energy-efficient home that will reduce operating costs to save money for years to come.”
Since 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Builders Challenge Program has recognized hundreds of leading builders for their achievements in energy efficiency, resulting in over 14,000 energy-efficient homes and millions of dollars in energy savings. The DOE Challenge Home, successor to the Builders Challenge Program, represents a new level of home performance with rigorous requirements that ensure outstanding levels of energy savings, comfort, health, and durability. The Total Challenge Home Program incorporates a total home performance protocol that enables builders to rate the exact levels of energy savings and efficiency. As a DOE partner, Liberty Homes will certify that its homes are built with leading, innovative products and technologies.
Founded in 1978, Liberty Homes Custom Builders has been chosen by thousands of homeowners who desire an award-winning year-round, vacation or retirement home in the greater Pocono region. For more information, visit www.libertyhomespa.com or call 866-4-YOUR HOME.
