Buying a new home in Utah County is one of the biggest purchases you’ll ever make. By choosing one that has earned the Energy Star label, you can have the house of your dreams and enjoy peace of mind knowing it meets strict guidelines for energy efficient homes in Utah set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Energy Star is the right decision for your family, your wallet, and for the environment – bringing these important benefits:

Lower Utility Bills on Your Utah Home

By using less energy for heating, cooling and water heating your energy efficient home can deliver approximately 20% savings on annual utility bills. A Knight West green home saves home owners even more money due to the NAHB building guidelines for energy efficient homes in Utah that we follow.

Enhanced Energy Performance in Your Utah Home

In an Energy Star qualified home, comfort is ensured with consistent temperatures between and across rooms; indoor air quality is enhanced by reducing dust, pollen, bugs, and excessive humidity; and durability is improved with comprehensive water protection, windows that block damaging sunlight, and better grade equipment.

Environmental Protection on Your Energy Efficient Utah Home

The energy used in homes often comes from the burning of fossil fuels at power plants. So, by using less energy to operate, Energy Star qualified homes help to prevent air pollution. This is an added benefit for today’s environmentally-conscious consumer looking for “Green” Choices.

Every Energy Star Home in Utah Features:*

1. A Complete Thermal Enclosure System
2. A Complete Heating and Cooling System
3. A Complete Water Management System
4. Energy-Efficient Lighting and Appliances
5. Third Party Verification

*These features refer to homes using Energy Star for Homes Version 3 guidelines. Until January 2012, builders may use prior versions of the Energy Star guidelines. Ask Knight West for more information.

This award was given as a result of Knight West Homes supporting the Utah Building Energy Efficiency Strategies (USBEES) projects and activities that have improved energy efficiency. Knight West Homes was one of a handful of Builders in the State of Utah that received this award.

Knight West Homes is committed to providing our buyers with homes that are more comfortable, energy efficient and homes that provide a healthier environment for the families that live in them.

The prices on lots and homes all over Utah County are going up. This includes the prices at Jacob’s Ranch in Saratoga Springs. The cause of this increase is the increasing demand for good building lots. More home buyers in Utah County would rather have a new home than an old fixer-up-er.

Jacob’s Ranch is located just south of Pioneer Crossing. This new access rout makes commuting a breeze. Jacob’s Ranch is also within minutes of Grocery Stores, Convenience Stores, Eating Establishments and Schools. This quiet subdivision also offers spectacular views of Utah Lake, Utah Valley and the West Mountains.

If you are sitting on the fence wondering if you should buy a lot now or build now, don’t procrastinate any longer or you could end up paying a lot more than you have to. When prices go up and interest rates go up, and the cost of building materials goes up the size of the house and yard you can qualify for may go down.

You may not know everything that you want in your home right up-front. A good builder can show you house plans and options for those plans. They will help you customize the plans for your new home based on your budget and needs. A pre-construction meeting will help you as a home buyer to understand what you are getting, and give you a chance to ask questions or change things that you may not love. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and take notes.

After construction has started, things can move fast. If you change your mind on a color or style that was previously decided on, you will need to contact the builder right away, this will ensure that you get the change that you want with minimal fees involved. If you see that something doesn’t look right, don’t be afraid to call and ask about it. Some times subs get used to building the standard house and overlook a change. The sooner the builder is aware of it, the easier it is to change. When a home buyer tells the subs what they want and leave the builder out of the loop things get missed. It’s okay to communicate with the subs building your home, this will give them a good understanding of what you want. It will also give you a chance to ask them questions. However it is the builder’s job to make sure the job is done correctly, and if they don’t know to watch for something that you had requested, it may not get done the way you wanted, it may not get done at all.

Every new home buyer wants to save money, it is also the builder’s job to shop around and find the suppliers that will give you the best deals. Often when home buyers try to save money by getting a similar product at a box store and not through the builder’s supplier, they get inferior products, the order isn’t ready on time and holds up the building progress and they don’t have a warranty on the item. It’s very frustrating to home buyers to find that they have done a lot of running around and the money they saved is less than the cost of the gas they used. Let the builder do the work for you and enjoy the process. Building a new home doesn’t have to be a stressful time. It should be exciting.

A buyer should ask if a home is Energy Star Certified when they are told it is a “green home”. This Certification comes from a third party inspector, not the builder. The inspector will check for items like Energy Star appliances, light fixtures, light bulbs, bathroom fans, HVAC and AC systems and water heater. They also check to make sure it is insulated and sealed. They do this by doing a blower door test. They place a blower in the front door and seal all around it. Then they blow air into the house. When it reaches a designated air pressure they turn the blower off and wait to see how long it takes the pressure to go down. The house is rated and a certificate will be issued showing the rating.

You may be asking yourself why anybody would go to all this trouble to make sure they have a certificate. It’s because the home will be very energy efficient. The home owners will notice things like a more constant temperature from room to room. The furnace and air conditioner will run less because of less air leakage. Knight West goes beyond the Energy Star requirements and installs an ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator); this filters the outside air coming into the home. The cleaner air means less environmental pollutants in the home, creating a healthier environment. For people who suffer from allergies this feature all by itself makes it worth the effort. Also, energy savings will be seen on the very first bill and on every bill thereafter for the life of the home. All of this combined energy savings is good for the environment.

Here at Knight West Construction, we are dedicated to giving our buyers a quality, affordable new home. We Exceed the IECC (International Energy Conservation Code) standard for insulation R-Values.

Take a look at how a Knight West Home measures up.

IECC 2009 Standards: Knight West Construction:

R-38 Ceilings                                                 R-60 Ceilings

R-20 Walls                                                     R-30 Walls

R-30 Floors                                                    R-47 Floors

R-10 Foundations                                           R-19 Foundations

Better insulation combined with special building techniques makes a Knight West “green home” a more comfortable living environment. It also helps save on energy costs, making a new home from Knight West Construction not only a great place to live, but more affordable.

For more information on building a beautiful new green home from Knight West Construction you can contact:

William Young or           Douglas L. Weight

801-785-8025 Office                                    801-785-8025 Office

801-785-2443 Office                                    801-785-2443 Office

801-885-8630 Cell                                       801-787-8107 Cell

Knight West Construction currently has lots available in the Jacobs Ranch Subdivision located in Saratoga Springs in North Utah County. As well as Mapleton. We can also build on your lot.

HardiePlankis a cementitious board that will not rot or wear like wood boards, but has the same appearance when painted.  HardiePlank appeals to those who have a taste for the craftsman style home which is becoming quite popular.  In addition, HardiePlank comes with virtually no maintenance.

Stucco is a classic material that has been popular for a long time and has been proven to stand up to the fads that come and go.  Stucco is virtually maintenance free and a durable material.  Stucco can be combined with other materials like rock or brick and brings a great quality to a home with either choice.

What we have seen through our experience is that people choose between these two products based on appearance because both products are very durable and low to no maintenance.

So which do you prefer, let us know?

Recently we contacted Rocky Mountain Power and Questar Gas.  They gave us an accounting of the utility costs for each home we have built in the last two years.  During one of the conversations we had with them at one point the employee stated under her breath that these seem low, well they are!  When we calculated the average cost for power and gas utilities it came out to $69.00 per month for power and $35.00 per month for gas.  That is very affordable and it is because of our building methods that this is possible.

Contact Knight West Homes, you could be in a brand new Energy Efficient Home within months.

Their approach to helping people through the mortgage process is refreshingly different. For us, making the decision to refer people to Jammony came down to 3 things:

1. They save people a lot of money. Jammony charges a flat fee for their service saving the average borrower over $4,000 in closing costs on their new custom home. There are no kick-backs or back-end payments. Additionally, their automated pricing system allows borrowers to instantly find the best loan for their needs without expensive loan officers.

2. They find a way to get hard deals done. As everyone knows, underwriting mortgages for new homes is getting harder. However, not only are they great at getting the easy deals done quickly, they frequently find ways to help borrowers no one else is able to.

3. They do what’s best for the borrower. 97% Customer Satisfaction and an “A” rating on the BBB after hundreds of transactions says a lot about what customers feel at the end of the process. As we’ve used them, our experience has been right in line with those lofty standards.

While we used to refer our borrowers to multiple lenders to get quotes, we haven’t been able to find another option that consistently performs for our buyers at the same level of savings, service, and ability to get things done as Jammony.

If you’d like to know more about how Jammony can save you money or what type of financing options are available, please feel free to give them a call 801-701-0621 or visit www.jammony.com.

If you are considering a new custom home in Utah please contact Knight West Homes at 801-785-8025 or go to the Contact Us link above.

We always enjoy the opportunity to showcase the great subcontractors we work with. This time we would like to intruduce you to Dave from Precision Woodworking.  Knight West Homes has partnered with Precision Woodworking for many years and throughout that time we have greatly appreciated Daves’ quality craftsmanship and creative style.  He has been excellent when working with our clients to help them turn their dream kitchens and bathrooms into a reality.  Dave custom builds all of the cabinets we put into each Knight West Home. We look forward to working with him for many more years to come.  For more information on Precision Woodworking you can visit their website at http://www.precisionwoodworkinginc.com.

Please contact Bill Young or Douglas Weight at 801-785-8025 for more information.  We look forward to hearing from you.