We’re excited to share that Reinbrecht Homes has won the Category 1 (up to $279,500) award for Most Energy Efficient Home in the Southwestern Indiana Builders Association’s 2021 Parade of Homes. Our 2,481-square-foot, four-bedroom home on Frost Drive in Poet Square took home the award, and we couldn’t be more proud.
Sponsored by CenterPoint Energy, the 2nd-annual award looked at each home’s energy performance and overall energy efficiency, honoring those that stood out for exceptional craftsmanship and design.
Reinbrecht Homes faced strong competition from other experienced home builders who added plenty of upgrades. That’s why we’re so proud of our Category 1 win. We won this award with our standard home design, which means no upgrades or extra features relating to energy efficiency and no additional costs to homeowners.
Here’s a look at our award-winning Poet Square home and our energy-efficient features.
Homes with Built-in Energy Efficiency
Reinbrecht standard homes come with the following energy-efficient features at no additional cost to buyers.
1. Tankless Water Heaters
We shifted from traditional hot water tanks to tankless water heaters in early 2020. Tankless water heaters give you heated water on demand, saving you the costs of storing heated water. Plus, they have a longer lifespan. While traditional tanks last about 8 to 12 years, well-maintained tankless units can last as long as 20 years.
2. Spider Plus Insulation
Every home we build comes with Spider® Plus insulation. Rather than use rolls of fiberglass insulation we need to size and cut to fit the wall cavity between each 2×4, we use Spider insulation. This is blown-in fiberglass insulation that uses interlocking technology with embedded glue to expand into every crevice. It has superior coverage and fills the entire wall cavity to keep heat and cold where you want it.
3. Heating and Cooling System
Reinbrecht standard homes come with a quality furnace and air conditioner system to keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. The air conditioners we install have a minimum seasonal energy efficiency rating (SEER) of 13, and the furnace is a minimum of 95%+ efficient.
SEER ratings measure the cooling capacity over the normal cooling season divided by the total energy the air conditioner uses, and they can go from 13 to 24; the higher the number, the more efficient the unit is at cooling your home.
For our Reinbrecht standard homes, the average heating and cooling costs are around $30 per month. This is a major reduction from other homes in the area, where homeowners typically see monthly bills that are much higher.
4. Insulated Headers
When insulating your home, we go above and beyond the industry standard, even in our standard home design. One way we do this is by using insulated headers above doors and windows to block air loss. Most builders use plywood as the header boards, but we use two pieces of plywood with rigid foam in between for superior energy efficiency and structural support.
5. Band Boards
Also called band joists, these boards sit between each floor of your home and run around its perimeter. They’re also one of the major areas of heating and cooling loss. To make your Reinbrecht home energy efficient, we seal each section of band board with spray-in foam insulation to prevent air from getting in or out.
Recommended reading: Tips for Keeping an Energy-Efficient Home
Why Should You Care As a Consumer?
Energy efficiency is more than a trendy part of home construction. It’s vital for constructing homes that cost less over their lifespan and stand the test of time.
Keep Energy Costs Down
Energy-efficient homes come with a better home energy rating system (HERS) index. The lower the rating, the less you pay for energy bills. Many homes built to industry standards have a HERS score of 100 to 130, with older homes often scoring from 140 to 150. When we build our homes, we design them to reach a HERS score of about 55 to 65. And our award-winning Poet Square home proudly scored a 55 on the HERS Index!
Even with Reinbrecht standard construction practices, our homes are 35% more energy efficient than the industry standard and 50% more efficient than the typical resale home.
Good for the Environment and Sustainability
By purchasing an energy-efficient house, you benefit from reduced electricity usage — which cuts back on the demand for carbon-intensive power plants. Energy efficiency can also lead to green living and sustainable practices that lessen your carbon footprint and reduce carbon emissions into the environment. Home features typically have a longer lifespan as well, which means less landfill waste and more ways to keep materials in circulation.
Thank you for joining us on this look into how we build energy efficiency into every home.
Are you ready for a new home that exceeds industry standards? Contact Reinbrecht Homes today to learn more about our built-in, energy-efficient features and how they can save you money. At Reinbrecht Homes, we do things differently.
