Green homes sprout all over Utah

 (Salt Lake Tribune) Energy-efficient homes are catching on nationwide, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced this week the trend is strong in Utah.

The federal agency said more than a million American homes are Energy Star-qualified -- 14,770 of them in Utah.

"This is an amazing achievement for the Energy Star program. But the real winners are the 1 million American families who have the chance to save money and keep harmful pollution out of the air," EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said in a news release. "That's great news for anyone who wants to cut costs and protect our planet."

Utah ranks 15 nationally for Energy Star homes.

With 1,851 of these homes built in the state in 2009, the energy equivalent of more than 5.4 million pounds of coal is being saved each year. They are estimated to reduce the same amount of pollution that would be released from more than 900 vehicles and roughly 10.7 million pounds of carbon-dioxide emissions.

Patty Crow, program coordinator for the EPA in Denver, said Utah's Energy Star performance is "bolstering the state's status as a leader in the new-energy economy."

Energy Star homes must meet strict efficiency guidelines, including high-performance insulation, windows, construction and heating and cooling systems. On-site tests and inspections verify the homes meet EPA standards.

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