Affordable housing built to ENERGY STAR standards saves Utah homeowners more money than previously thought, a state study shows.

Actual utility costs per unit average $62 a month, according to a survey of 148 apartments and single-family homes financed by the Olene Walker Housing Loan Fund. That's 12 percent cheaper than the $70 billion that independent energy auditors had estimated tenants would pay to heat, cool and light their apartments.

The study was done by the Utah Division of Housing & Community Development to measure the results of a 2006 policy, which requires that all Olene Walker housing earn the ENERGY STAR rating, the EPA's standard for superior energy efficiency. But the findings are applicable to any homeowner.

The study also showed that not all ENERGY STAR housing is created equal. Of the three properties surveyed, The Stratford Apartments in Salt Lake City boasted the lowest monthly utility bills at $21.10. At the high end was $90.89 at The Springs in Logan, a development of 54 single-family, three-bedroom homes.

Over the past two years, the Olene Walker fund, which consists mainly of HUD HOME funds, has added 1,599 ENERGY STAR units to the state's affordable housing stock, saving low-income Utahns about half-a-million dollars on their energy bills.

In March 2008, the fund was awarded the ENERGY STAR Award for Excellence in Energy-Efficient Affordable Housing.