Q. How much does it cost to join?
A. It costs nothing to join, the program is voluntary. Homes are charged a certification fee. This fee may be subsidized if the electric utility is participating in the program.

Q. How do I get involved?
A. Contact the regional coordinator in your area or Wisconsin ENERGY STAR^® Homes at 1.800.762.7077 or WESHinfo@focusonenergy.com.

Q. What does a consultant do?
A. Consultants act as third-party evaluators who ensure the program standards are met. They also provide answers to questions you may have regarding performance of the home in terms of air-tightness, how well ventilation works, and low-cost ways of helping homeowners control moisture.

Q. What is the process to certify a home?
A. The process works like this:

1. Contact your consultant and send the plans for him or her to review.
2. They will do an initial review based on plans and a computer evaluation to ensure the home meets the energy efficiency requirements. If it does not, they will make recommendations to increase the efficiency of the home. This also gives you an estimate of the annual costs of heating and cooling your home.
3. They will perform an on-site visit after the home is framed and then after the home is insulated. They will give recommendations for improvements to ensure the home will meet the performance testing standards.
4. A final site visit is conducted after the home is completed. At this site visit, the consultant conducts a blower door test and check the flow of high-moisture area fans. Additionally, he or she will check for other program standards including looking for carbon monoxide detectors.
5. If the home meets the standards, a certification report and plaque will be sent to the homeowner.

Q. Will the program require more than I am doing now?
A. Most builders are already doing a majority of the building practices that are required in the Wisconsin ENERGY STAR Homes Program. Usually, builders only need to address minor changes to their practices.

Q. How much additional time will it add to work the site visits into my schedule?
A. The builder or builder's representative is only required to be on-site for the first three homes built in the program.