AEP Ohio

AEP Ohio and Columbia Gas of Ohio, two major utility companies serving the City of Columbus and the central Ohio region, first partnered with ENERGY STAR in September of 2010. From the beginning, they established and administered a joint ENERGY STAR New Homes program in their market to be a consistent market presence for homebuyers. AEP Ohio and Columbia Gas of Ohio are receiving ENERGY STAR recognition for their shared commitment to sponsoring ENERGY STAR certified homes. Key accomplishments in 2011 include:

�         Enrolling 45 builders and 19 raters and completing more than 540 new ENERGY STAR certified homes in Columbus and the central Ohio region in the program's first year.

�         Establishing a robust quality assurance/quality control process that includes reviewing rating files and field inspections to establish consistency and confidence in the energy savings and overall performance of participating homes.

�         Providing ENERGY STAR training to small groups of builders with their trade contractors to help facilitate their transition to Version 3 specifications.

�         Collaborating with key affordable housing agencies to help affordable housing developers comply with and exceed their energy efficiency and quality assurance goals.

�         Joining with the Columbus-based Huntington Bank to offer an ENERGY STAR New Homes mortgage to homebuyers looking to purchase homes in their market. This preferred mortgage product offers buyers of ENERGY STAR certified homes significant savings in recognition of their reduced operating costs and increased home energy performance.