CHANGE FOR THE ' -CO BETTER WITH ¦*£rtn^ ENERGY STAR Products that earn the ENERGY STAR® prevent greenhouse emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. www.eriergystar.gov Whitney Park at a Glance Price Range: $234,900 to $298,900 Description: 56-unit development, 1,355-1,790 square footTownhomes, Hamden, CT Lighting: ENERGY STAR Advance Lighting Package in 100 percent of homes CASE STUDY: Ravenswood Homes Increase Home Sales with ENERGY STAR® What are you doing to lower my living costs? What kinds of materials are you using? How environmentally-friendly are your homes? These are just some of the questions Deb Quinn of Ravenswood Homes fields when trying to close the sale; and, like over 2,000 other home builders who offer ENERGY STAR qualified homes and products, she uses ENERGY STAR as the answer. oEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency The Bottom Line Advantage Offering an ENERGY STAR Advanced Lighting Package (ALP) helped make Ravenswood's Whitney Park development a resounding success. Quinn attributes ENERGY STAR with doubling the speed of sales for the Whitney park development and allowing Ravenswood to gradually increase their asking price by 40 percent. Quinn exclaimed, "ENERGY STAR doubled the speed of sales for the Whitney Park development. ENERGY STAR sells like hotcakes!" "The upgraded and beautiful [ENERGY STAR qualified] light fixtures definitely helped us sell the Whitney Park units!" -Deb Quinn, Ravenswood Homes According to Quinn, "The upgraded and beautiful [ENERGY STAR qualified] light fixtures definitely helped us sell the Whitney Park units. Ravenswood cannot promote our ENERGY STAR affiliation enough." Quinn rigorously uses Web sites, newsletters, and brochures to educate consumers, publicize their energy-efficient building methods, and advertise the cost-savings associated with ENERGY STAR qualified lighting fixtures. "ENERGY STAR has definitely given Ravenswood a strong competitive advantage. ENERGY STAR clinches the sale because homebuyers see ENERGY STAR as cutting- edge," says Quinn. Having realized so many benefits from ENERGY STAR for homes, Quinn now offers the ENERGY STAR Advanced Lighting Package as an option in all of Ravenswood's housing developments. ------- Helpful Hints and Sales Tip • Educate your customers about why energy efficiency is beneficial to their bottom line and the environment. • Prominently display ENERGY STAR qualified lighting fixtures in your model home. •Thoroughly educate and familiarize yourself with ENERGY STAR qualified products and methods. • Place ENERGY STAR marketing materials that highlight the features and benefits of ENERGY STAR throughout the model home. •Work through a lighting supply company that will guarantee prompt delivery and a sure supply. Getting the Job Done The ENERGY STAR ALP is the most visible "energy-saving" feature of the home. For the Whitney Park development, Ravenswood worked with United Illuminating (local utility) and Energy Federation Inc. (a lighting distributor) to outfit the entire model home with only ENERGY STAR qualified lighting fixtures, allowing Quinn to demonstrate to consumers the beautiful aesthetics of energy-efficient lighting. Quinn found that buyers were very pleased with the "clean" quality of ENERGY STAR qualified lighting and loved the energy-savings. In order to communicate the benefits of the ENERGY STAR ALP and other ENERGY STAR products, Quinn designed a numbered tour, where each ENERGY STAR qualified product was labeled with information regarding its environmental and financial benefits. Posters, cards, and flyers were placed throughout the home, explaining the features and benefits of products that have earned the ENERGY STAR. The ENERGY STAR mark is on ail materials to reinforce the superior quality of the products. Within These Walls The 1,650 square foot, 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath model home featured ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures from Sea Gull Lighting, Progress Lighting, MaxLite, Good Earth Lighting, and TCP. The model had a total of 28 fixtures, all of which were ENERGY STAR qualified, exceeding the ENERGY STAR ALP requirements. Quinn used an EFI catalog, which featured over 600 ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures, to match fixture styles and create a consistent and sophisticated look for the model home. For More Information... on the ENERGY STAR Advanced Lighting Package, visit the ENERGY STAR Web site at www.energystar.gov or send an e-mail to ENERGYSTAR_ALP@icfi.com. oEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency ------- |