New Energy Star NextGen Program Debuts

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has just launched its EnergyStar NextGen Certification Program designed to increase energy savings.

A new voluntary certification program for the residential new construction sector is now up and running from the EPA, designed to increase national energy and emissions savings. It addresses a multitude of construction areas, including heat pumps, water heaters, cooking appliances and home electric vehicle charging stations.

Homes that earn the new certification will be as much as 20 percent more efficient than typical code-level construction and can help reduce greenhouse emissions by 40 to 80 percent, the EPA said in launching the program.

“By collaborating with developers and home builders nationwide, Energy Star NextGen is set to act as a catalyst for the construction of new, energy-efficient homes and apartment buildings,” said EPA administrator Michael S. Regan. “Strategic partnerships like this are not just cutting costs for American families and greenhouse gas emissions—they’re paving the way for a clean energy future for current and future generations. 

Part of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the new program “is addressing climate challenges head-on and accelerating the adoption of clean, affordable technologies.” The EPA says that energy used in commercial and residential buildings accounts for one-third of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. These same buildings have the potential to cut their emissions by up to 63 percent by 2030 and up to 70% by 2035, an agency study estimated.

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