A Home Built for South Texas Weather — Why Performance Beats Pretty
In today’s rapidly changing world, homebuyers are not just looking for beautiful design and square footage—they’re looking for smart investments, healthier living, and homes that are built to last. This shift in priorities is pushing the homebuilding industry toward a new standard: high-performance homes. These homes are more than energy efficient—they’re built with a focus on comfort, durability, and verified construction quality.
When you’re buying a home here in South Texas, it’s easy to fall for the curb appeal: the handsome façade, designer finishes, and trendy architectural style. But what really matters for long-term comfort, indoor air quality, and electricity bills is what’s going on behind the finishes. Buying a home simply because of how it looks is like choosing a car just because you like the paint color—without asking what the mpg is, how it handles, or what’s under the hood.
Performance Matters in South Texas
Here in South Texas, our climate means we battle intense sun, high humidity, and heavy cooling loads much of the year. A home that looks great on the outside but leaks conditioned air, has poorly sealed ducts, or lacks proper insulation will cost more to cool, will struggle with indoor air issues (like high humidity, mold risk, or stale air), and won’t feel as comfortable as a home built with performance in mind.
A well-built home addresses:
These factors all feed into how comfortable the home is, how healthy its indoor air is, and how much you pay in utility bills.
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What the Law Requires— and What’s Not Always Enforced
In Texas, there are mandatory energy-code tests for new singlefamily homes. For example, under the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) 2015 and later, homes must undergo a blower-door test (which measures air infiltration) and duct pressure/leakage testing under certain circumstances.
More specifically:
● A blower-door test (which depressurizes the home and measures how much outdoor air infiltrates) is mandatory for new single-family homes in Texas
● Duct leakage testing is required when ducts and air handlers are located outside the conditioned space (e.g., in an attic)
However — here’s the important caveat: while the state sets the code, not all municipalities enforce every aspect of the code equally or update quickly to the newest version. Some cities may rely on outdated energy-code versions or do minimal checks of energy efficiency. Also, the local building inspector’s job is primarily health and safety — they inspect for structural integrity, fire risk, egress, plumbing, electrical. It is not always their job to certify that the home meets a high performance standard. The energy efficiency features are often self certified by the builder or third party test agency, not always by the code official.
Why Builders and Buyers Should Aim Above Code
Many builders do meet or exceed code minimums already. But when they join high-performance certification programs—like the BUILT TO SAVE® program or the AEP Texas High-Performance Home program—they gain cash-incentives, third-party inspections, and certification. These programs allow builders to promote themselves as brands that voluntarily build homes above the minimum. For the homebuyer, the benefit is peace of mind: an independent energy rater has inspected the home while under construction and tested it after completion, verifying performance. The BUILT TO SAVE® certificate then becomes a matter of documented proof, which is especially valuable valuable if and when the owner sells the home.
Bottom Line for Homebuyers
When you shop for a home in South Texas, don’t let looks dominate your decision. A home that looks “nice” but performs poorly will cost you: higher electricity bills (especially with relentless cooling loads), less comfort, and possibly compromised indoor air quality. Instead:
In a climate like ours, the home’s performance—the envelope, the ducts, the HVAC, the air sealing—matters more than whether the stone veneer looks trendy. If you build or buy with performance in mind, you’ll feel the difference in comfort, you’ll breathe better, and you’ll pay less to stay cool.
For a list of builders who are members of the BUILT TO SAVE® Program, go to BuiltToSave.org. For the AEP Texas High-Performance Home Program, visit SouthTXSaves.com
Visit www.BuiltToSave.org to find out more about why you should not settle for a minimum code-built home when you can enjoy the savings and comfort of a high-performance home. You can also find builders enrolled in the BUILT TO SAVE® program offering high-performance homes.
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