West Florida Electric Cooperative Association, Inc.

There's no place like a Touchstone Energy® Home

Come home to comfort and savings with West Florida Electric Cooperative’s Touchstone Energy® Home program. Offered exclusively by Touchstone Energy® cooperatives such as WFEC, certification under the program ensures new or existing homes exceed standard energy efficiency criteria -- a wise investment for any homeowner or builder.

Owners of Touchstone Energy® Homes benefit from overall lower utility bills than with conventional construction, increased comfort due to elimination of drafts and temperature gradients that make homes feel warmer or cooler than they actually are, higher resale value and possible qualification for energy efficient mortgages. Several government-sponsored lenders, including the Veterans Administration, the Federal Housing Administration, the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) consider energy efficiency in their appraisals and may allow higher loan-to-income ratios for energy efficient properties.

At the same time, Touchstone Energy® Homes mean greater profitability for builders. Energy features typically add less than 1 to 2 percent to construction costs, but greatly increase a home’s marketability. Energy features are a major consideration of today’s home buyers, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Additionally, 78 percent of real estate appraisers surveyed by the Realtors’ National Market have said energy-efficient homes are worth more – by approximately 5 percent.

To qualify for Touchstone Energy® Home certification, a home must meet at least eight of 15 insulation and weatherization guidelines, specifically designed for our region, addressing two forces that affect a home’s energy efficiency and comfort level – air infiltration and heat loss or gain. These features include R-16 wall insulation, R-38 ceiling, attic ventilation, R-19 floor insulation, double pane windows or single pane with storm windows, metal insulated doors, infiltration control to help prevent air from leaking into the home, exhaust systems in bathrooms and kitchen, an exterior house wrap, heating and cooling ducts located in conditioned space, an energy-efficient electric water heater and a high-efficiency electric heat pump.

Among these criteria, an energy-efficient heat pump and water heater both are mandatory. WFEC will provide an electric water heater free to qualified participants.

For additional information, log on to WFEC’s Touchstone Energy® Home Web site at http://energysaver.wfeca.com. Touchstone Energy® is an alliance of more than 600 consumer-owner, locally-operated electric cooperatives in 44 states serving more than 17 million customers with integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to community.

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