Energy Plus Homes | Caviness & Cates New Home Coummities

Welcome to Caviness and Cates Communities

Builder Magazine has named the top home builders for 2008, ranking central-based North Carolina builder Caviness and Cates, 90th out of the top 100 builders in the U.S. The magazine's "Builder 100" Survey is the most widely known and respected listing throughout the industry, focusing on closings and gross revenue of builders and their improvement from the prior year.

For 2008, Caviness and Cates closed 315 homes and grossed $75 million in revenue. "We are proud to be ranked on the list," says CEO, Watson Caviness, "since it is a reflection of companies that survived one of the rockiest years in housing history." Watson adds, "We survived 2008 by building in desirable locations, offering affordable, quality homes and help with closing costs."

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About Energy Plus

Caviness & Cates ENERGY PLUS Qualified homes are designed and built to provide greater energy efficiency and comfort. What does that mean?

Lowered cost of ownership and energy bills. The EPA's ENERGY PLUS standards require the home to be at least 15% more efficient than typical code built homes ( 2004 International Residential Code (IRC) and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20-30% more efficient than standard homes.

How you benefit from a Caviness & Cates ENERGY PLUS qualified home:

Greater Comfort: ENERGY PLUS standards improve overall comfort through minimizing uneven temperatures, more effectively distributing air and better regulating temperature and humidity variations.

Peace of Mind: Independent, third-party energy raters randomly inspect and test selected homes and features during construction to confirm ENERGY PLUS qualifications are being followed.

Environmentally Responsible: Because Energy Plus qualified homes are designed to be more energy efficient, they help reduce your home's carbon footprint.

Why not make your next home a Caviness & Cates ENERGY PLUS home!

Features of a Caviness & Cates Energy Plus home may include:

1. Efficient duct system: Sealed ducts help deliver conditioned air more effectively and permit the heating and cooling system to operate with less effort.

2. Sealed home "envelope": The building envelope separates the home's indoor environment from the outdoor environment. Sealing this envelope helps to reduce drafts, dust and pollen from exterior sources.

3. Properly sized, efficient HVAC equipment: Helps to reduce energy consumption and better regulate indoor temperature and humidity variations.

4. Effective insulation: Properly installed insulation helps to reduce energy consumption, improve overall comfort and minimize indoor temperature variability.

5. Low "E" windows: Windows help save energy through the use of one or more advanced technologies, such as low-emissivity (low-e) coatings.

6. Independent review: With the help of independent Home Energy Raters, we'll choose the most appropriate energy-saving features for our homes. Additionally, raters conduct onsite testing and inspections of all homesÊto verify the energy efficiency measures, as well as insulation, air tightness, and duct sealing details.

How does the rating system work?

We're committed to have all of our homes rated with the HERS Index (Home Energy Rating System). This scoring system has been established by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) in which a home built to the specifications of the HERS Reference Home scores a HERS Index of 100, while a net zero energy home scores a HERS Index of 0. The lower a home's HERS Index, the more energy efficient it is in comparison to the HERS Reference Home.

Each one-point decrease in the HERS Index corresponds to a 1% reduction in energy consumption compared to the HERS Reference Home. Thus a home with a HERS Index of 85 is 15% more energy efficient than the HERS Reference Home and a home with a HERS Index of 80 is 20% more energy efficient.

Caviness & Cates Communities and RESNET have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work together in promoting improved home energy performance and home energy ratings of new homes.

The intent of the MOU is to raise consumers knowledge of new home energy performance by using RESNET's HERS Index. This will clearly differentiate homes built by Caviness & Cates Communities Homes and put competitive pressure on the new home industry in the North Carolina market to follow suit. It is expected that this agreement will serve as a model to other local and regional builders that would have positive outcomes for consumers, RESNET and the new home industry.

*All homes may not have all features; some exceptions may apply; ENERGY PLUS features and specifications subject to change without notice. For further details, check with your Community Specialist regarding the community features and specifications.