| High Performance Home Features | High performance building envelope materials-insulation |
|---|---|
| HERS Index Rating |
61
|
| Home Square Footage |
4414
|
| Experience Rating |
Green Energy Money (GEM), Inc. and The Federal Savings Bank were persistent in supporting me in the mortgage refinance for my existing green home for many months. The home was built in 2010 and upgraded by me; I’m an engineer with Mitsubishi Electric and specialize in energy performance which is why my home is so efficient. The home was one of only three of the most efficient homes built in my neighborhood; and is still over 50 percent more efficient today than any homes built since that time; my energy bills are over $2000 less a year than other homes in my neighborhood.
We attempted to refinance my high-performance home with a conventional appraiser since my property tax bill reflected a high enough value to satisfy loan requirements. However, the conventional appraiser had no expertise in quantifying my value, comparing it to similar non-efficient homes that had sold in my neighborhood. Due to his inexperience in appraising green homes, and unwillingness to learn or accept my feedback, the value he assessed was significantly lower, over $50k, than the property tax assessment or the amount of extra money I had spent to upgrade the home.
I was able to find documentation, a HERs Audit and historical utility data, which supported GEM in performing an energy performance analysis. The Federal Savings Bank and GEM turned my property valuation around using the analysis and their competent green appraisal panel. The end result, I obtained a high enough value to complete my refinance, lower my interest rate, cash out to restructure my debt, saving me over $1000 in monthly cash flow. Many thanks to GEM and Weststar for not giving up on me and for helping me and my family.
Keith Reihl, Happy Homeowner, Houston, TX
Regional Sales Manager, Commercial
Mitsubishi Electric US
Cooling & Heating