A star was born at the Lakes at Oakmont subdivision in Platte City, Mo. An Energy Star, that is.

It’s a home built by Gary Kerns Homebuilders LLC in St. Joseph, and it’s one of the first to receive the Energy Star rating from Platte Clay Electric Coop, a rural electric cooperative that serves a six-county area north of Kansas City.

Although they are rare in this area, homes with this designation are increasing and are expected to approach 1 million nationally by the end of the year, says Sam Rashkin, national director of Energy Star for homes. The program was launched by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1995.

“Our mission is to protect against climate change through increased energy-efficient products, homes and buildings,” he says. “Energy-efficient homes use less energy and decrease pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.”

To earn the Energy Star, a home must meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency set by the EPA. These homes are at least 15 percent more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC) and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20 to 30 percent more efficient than standard homes. The home then receives a HERS (home energy rating system) rating based on a point system.

“You want a low score,” says Dave Christensen, Platte-Clay’s certified energy rater. “It’s kind of like golf — the lower the better.”

To be an Energy Star home, “par” is 85 or below. The Kerns-built home, for example, has a score of 71. A HERS rating of zero would mean that the house uses net zero energy from on-site generation.

From an appearance standpoint, Energy Star homes are a far cry from the compact earth homes that used to be the model of energy efficiency. Other than the Energy Star sticker on the breaker box, the Kerns-built home doesn’t look distinctly different from the others in the subdivision. They all have soft earth tones, spacious rooms, vaulted ceilings and numerous large windows. The difference for the most part is between the walls.

The wall between the house and the garage, for example.

“Most people just sheetrock that wall and insulate it,” Mr. Kerns says. “We also put an air barrier there. The same air barrier we use on the outside of the house.”

The rating is not given for specific criteria, but rather the builder’s choices from a long checklist of things you can do to get the Energy Star certification. Kerns’ 3,720-square-foot house has an energy-efficient heat pump backed up with a 90-percent-efficient gas furnace. The windows have an Energy Star label. Ducts and supply leads were sealed to send conditioned air to its proper destination, rather than leaking out along the duct route. Builders sealed around all gaps and perforations with tape, insulating foam or caulk to prevent air infiltration and included R-38 blown insulation in the attack and used spray in cellulose in the 2 inch-by-4 inch walls.

“Many of the things that Mr. Kerns did are done in homes that do not get the Energy Star rating,” Mr. Christensen says. “It is the complete package that gets the certification.”

For more information on Energy Star Homes, visit energystar.gov.

Make your home an energy star

Although the Energy Star rating is just for new homes, you can find out how to make your existing home more energy efficient at the Platte-Clay Fall Energy Fair, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 1 at the Community Courtyard, Second and Maple streets in downtown Plattsburg, Mo. They also will be giving away T-shirts and compact fluorescent lights while supplies last.

Lifestyles reporter Sylvia Anderson can be reached at sylviaanderson@npgco.com.