You've worked hard and saved for year to get your first house. Energy efficiency might not be top of mind when buying your first home, but the costs of ignoring it add up fast.
A $400 winter heating bill you didn't plan for shouldn’t break your budget. But excessive energy usage can drain hundreds of dollars from your budget every month. Over 30 years of homeownership, those hidden costs compound into tens of thousands of dollars lost.
Mike Robertson, Decarbonization and Sustainability Lead at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, shares how energy-efficient features protect homebuyers' investments. At The Heights development in St. Paul, homes are designed with features that use up to 90% less energy than traditional builds.
For families managing tight budgets, this could be the difference between building wealth and treading water.
"When you have that mortgage payment plus all your other bills, anything that can keep those costs down matters," says Robertson.
When January temperatures drop below zero, traditional homes see heating bills spike. How much you spend depends in part on your household habits—leaving lights on, adjusting thermostats, running appliances—and on how much energy your home uses because of how it’s built.
Traditional homes built to minimum code requirements can lose energy through drafts, poor insulation, and inefficient heating systems. The Heights homes are built differently. They're air-sealed to prevent drafts, have significantly more insulation than a typical home, use air source heat pumps (an efficient heating and cooling system), and have solar power that generates electricity right from the roof.
Energy costs don't stay flat. Over the 30 years you might own your home, utility rates will likely increase. Traditional homes become more expensive to heat and cool as rates climb. Energy-efficient homes with solar panels or shingles work differently.
"Solar panels generate electricity to offset what you’re using so even if rates go up, you're producing a lot of your own power for free," Robertson explains. "The solar panels buffer homeowners from utility cost increases."
Buying a home is the biggest investment most of us will ever make. Energy-efficient features protect that investment over time.
"These features lead to a lower carbon footprint, improved indoor air quality, and lower utility bills for homeowners," Robertson notes. "Green building is a win for everyone."
The Heights is Twin Cities Habitat's largest development ever, with 147 homes designed to meet Department of Energy Efficient New Homes Program standards. This certification means every system (from insulation to HVAC to windows) was designed as part of an integrated, verified approach to efficiency.
Energy efficiency features can lower your monthly costs, increase your home's resale value, and protect you from unpredictable utility rate increases.
If you’re comparing homes in similar price ranges, think about energy efficiency. A home that costs less to operate gives families more financial breathing room. That means saving for education, building an emergency fund, or simply managing unexpected expenses without stress.
At The Heights, these features are standard in every home. Twin Cities Habitat builds knowing that first-time buyers need homes that will serve them well for decades.