Washington, D.C. — The energy efficiency of more than 325,000 homes and apartment units across the country was improved through better building techniques and energy efficiency improvements, saving consumers close to $150 million in 2005, according to the first annual Partnership for Home Energy Efficiency (PHEE) report. The report documents the progress of efforts by the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to improve energy efficiency.

Other highlights of the report include:

• record-breaking numbers (167,000—up from 132,000 in 2004) of ENERGY STAR-qualified homes built in 2005;
• increased certification opportunities for energy efficiency contractors through the Building Performance Institute (www.bpi.org), funded jointly by the three agencies; and
• additional $1 billion in utility bill savings for homeowners through the purchase of more energy-efficient products and appliances promoted by DOE, EPA and HUD during 2005, compared to 2004.

PHEE was created in 2005 to help American homeowners improve the energy efficiency of their homes, save money and help address the rising costs of energy. The PHEE set an aggressive goal of reducing the energy consumption of the average American home by 10 percent by 2015, which would save Americans $20 billion annually in utility costs; increase the affordability and comfort of homes; reduce demand for natural gas by more than 1 quad (a quadrillion Btus); and avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from more than 25 million vehicles. For more information, visit http://energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=news.nr_news.