HUD Regional Director Macie Houston and EPA Regional Administrator John Askew joined Unified Government Mayor Joe Reardon at the site of a new single-family home in Kansas City, Kansas. They joined in recognizing October as Energy Awareness Month and promoting the Energy Star Program. The Energy Star program is an innovative, whole-house approach to improving the comfort and energy efficiency of homes.

The Energy Star Program is part of the Home Energy Efficiency Partnership comprised of EPA, the Department of Energy and HUD. The goal of the partnership is to reduce household energy costs by 10 percent over the next decade while improving the nation's air.

The Unified Government partnered with local HUD and EPA offices in a pilot program to build single-family homes that qualify for the Energy Star label. The homes will combine housing affordability and energy efficiency and can serve as a model for cities throughout the four-state region (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska). The goal of the program is to develop a "Standard Operating Procedure" to be used in 2007 on all HUD-assisted new construction and major rehab projects by developers within the Unified Government's jurisdiction. The house at 630 New Jersey is one of three homes the UG is sponsoring for the pilot program. The builder, Randall Morris Construction, is building the house to meet Energy Star performance standards. The house will feature controlled airflow, high performing windows and doors, a high efficiency HVAC with heat pump and programmable thermostat. It also includes R-19 to R-30 insulation rating throughout the house, as well as Energy Star qualified products such as light fixtures and appliances. Products and houses that earn the Energy Star label save energy and prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency guidelines set by EPA and DOE.

"Utility bills are the second largest household expense for most renters and owners," said HUD Regional Director Macie Houston. "By reducing the amount spent on utility bills, we reduce the cost of living for low and moderate income families who often spend a disproportionately large share of their incomes on utilities. Using Energy Star in building homes helps keep a house affordable over the long-term while also helping our environment. I am pleased that Mayor Reardon has committed the support and resources of the Unified Government to pilot a program that will protect the global environment, save energy and help families save on their utility bills."

EPA Regional Administrator John Askew encouraged every individual living in the community to help save energy and protect the environment by replacing at least one incandescent lightbulb at home with one that has earned the Energy Star label. Energy Star qualified bulbs and fixtures help reduce household energy costs because they use one-third the energy of traditional lighting, and last up to 10 times longer. The program called "Change A Light, Change The World" campaign is one energy saving solution that can save consumers up to $30 in utility costs over the lifetime of one bulb.

"First, I applaud Kansas City, Kansas Mayor Joe Reardon and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the private sector partners for all their work to provide energy-efficient housing for low to moderate income families," said EPA Regional Administrator John Askew. "Our principal mission at EPA is to protect human health and the environment. Together with home buyers and their families, we are working to achieve a common goal – protecting the environment for future generations by changing to more energy-efficient practices today. Simply put, the less energy we use in our homes, the less air pollution we generate."

Mayor Joe Reardon said, "The Unified Government is delighted to partner in this pilot program with HUD and EPA. The Change a Light, Change the World campaign is an excellent way for our residents to protect the environment and economize on our utility bills."

If every U.S. household replaced just one incandescent lightbulb at home with an Energy Star bulb, the country would save $600 million in energy bills. This save enough energy to light 7 million homes and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 1 million cars. Visit the http://www.energystar.gov website for more information or call toll-free 1 (888) 782-7937.