The Premier ProEnergy home has earned the ENERGY STAR® seal. The ENERGY STAR® Homes program is a national Environmental Protection Agency program which promotes voluntary partnerships with homebuilders to construct homes that are 15% more energy efficient than California’s strict Title 24 Energy Standards.

SMUD, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, is providing significant support for the Premier Zero Energy Home (ZEH) effort through its renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. The homes will be certified to be both a SMUD Solar Advantage Home and an Advantage Home. As a SMUD Solar Advan-tage Home, every home in Premier Gardens features a state-of-the-art, solar electric roof-integrated system. Premier Gardens also meets the SMUD’s Advantage Home program criteria. California’s minimum cooling energy standards are considered among the most stringent in the nation. As SMUD Advantage Homes, the homes in Premier Gardens exceed current California Title 24 home energy cooling requirements by 50%. Premier Gardens homes also come equipped with advanced energy efficient lighting and receive a Home Energy Rating (HERS) that verifies their energy efficiency.

The Premier ProEnergy home has incorporated ComfortWise features. ComfortWise homes are designed and built for comfort and energy efficiency and have been independently inspected for quality, performance and energy features. ComfortWise homeowners will enjoy lower energy bills, more buying power, improved comfort, quality construction, reduced maintenance and higher resale value and are contributing to a cleaner environment. ComfortWise is a successful ENERGY STAR program that calls for specific features to make homes more efficient such as mechanically engineered room-by-room HVAC systems, tight ducts, and energy efficient windows, and includes diagnostics, inspections and documentation. The ComfortWise program was designed by ConSol, an energy consulting firm with a long history of work-ing with utilities and the building industry.

A near Zero Energy Home (ZEH), a designation from the U.S. Department of Energy and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), combines state-of-the-art, energy-efficient con-struction and appliances with commercially avail-able renewable energy systems such as solar wa-ter heating and solar electricity. These homes are connected to the utility grid, but because they may produce as much electricity as they consume, the homes are considered to achieve a “net zero” electricity consumption. Not only are they designed to exceed California’s strict Title 24 energy regulations by over 15%, they have also been de-signed with features that will save you up to 60% on your monthly electric and gas utility bill.