Experience Life. Built. Better.

At Meritage Homes, energy efficiency isn’t an upgrade — it’s the standard. We use a whole-home approach, thoughtfully integrating proven systems from the foundation to the roofline. Every feature works together to help reduce your energy use, increase comfort, and support your family’s health — without compromise.

Click on the icons below to explore how you can live with More Savings, Better Health, Real Comfort and Peace of Mind in your Meritage home.

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How We Measure Energy Efficiency In Each Home

Understanding the HERS® Index

At Meritage, energy efficiency isn’t just a concept, it’s a measurable outcome. That’s why we use the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) to evaluate performance.

The HERS Index is a nationally recognized scale that measures a home’s energy efficiency. The lower the score, the more energy-efficient the home, and the more you save on monthly utilities. A typical new home scores around 100. Meritage homes consistently outperform that average, helping homeowners enjoy real savings.

Use the slider below to explore how a lower HERS score can translate into annual energy cost savings.

100

ANNUAL SAVINGS

CARBON FOOTPRINT

COMFORT

0HERS RATING

ANNUAL ENERGY SAVINGS

$2335
Compared to a
typical existing home ($/yr)*
$1796
Compared to a
typical new home ($/yr)**

This home is a Net Zero Energy Home. This means that this home produces as much energy through renewable resources, such as solar panels, as it consumes. Only a Net Zero Energy Home can score 0 on the RESNET HERS Index.

Some of the advantages of a Zero Energy Home are:

  • Improved health and comfort: a Net Zero Energy Home reduces temperature fluctuations.
  • Cost effective: a Net Zero Energy Home that produces energy not only shields it owner from fluctuations in energy prices but can eliminate energy bills altogether.
  • Environmental sustainability: a Net Zero Energy Home protects the environment by reducing greenhouse gases, cutting carbon emissions and saving energy.

10HERS RATING

ANNUAL ENERGY SAVINGS

$2155
Compared to a
typical existing home ($/yr)*
$1616
Compared to a
typical new home ($/yr)**

This is a truly outstanding score! Tremendous effort has gone into making this home very energy efficient. These homeowners will enjoy watching their utility bills decrease while the comfort level of their home increases. The next step would be to eliminate energy costs altogether by having the house produce its own energy. Impossible? Not true! A RESNET certified Rater can show you how to convert your home into a Zero Energy Home that actually produces as much energy as it consumes.

20HERS RATING

ANNUAL ENERGY SAVINGS

$1976
Compared to a
typical existing home ($/yr)*
$1437
Compared to a
typical new home ($/yr)**

This is a tremendous score! This house is well on its way to becoming a Zero Energy Home, which is environmentally friendly and produces as much energy as it consumes. Homeowners can apply for Energy Efficient Mortgages to help them finance the energy improvements they need to transform their homes into high energy performance ones.

30HERS RATING

ANNUAL ENERGY SAVINGS

$1796
Compared to a
typical existing home ($/yr)*
$1257
Compared to a
typical new home ($/yr)**

A great score! This home is 70% more energy efficient than a standard new home and 100% more efficient than the typical resale home! It has been designed and built with energy efficiency in mind, resulting in a home that is environmentally friendly, enjoys a high comfort level and benefits from low energy costs.

40HERS RATING

ANNUAL ENERGY SAVINGS

$1616
Compared to a
typical existing home ($/yr)*
$1078
Compared to a
typical new home ($/yr)**

This is a very good score indeed! The builder has done a lot of the right things to make this home more energy efficient, like using energy efficient lighting systems and installing efficient heating and cooling equipment. But if you think that there’s not much more that needs to be done to improve this house, you’re wrong! A RESNET certified Rater can make recommendations on further improvements that could result in even greater savings.

50HERS RATING

ANNUAL ENERGY SAVINGS

$1437
Compared to a
typical existing home ($/yr)*
$898
Compared to a
typical new home ($/yr)**

This home is 50% more energy efficient than a standard new home and 80% more efficient than the average resale home, which already puts it in a better bracket than a standard new home. However, there are still many improvements that can be made. A RESNET certified Rater is the ideal person to talk to about what more can be done.

60HERS RATING

ANNUAL ENERGY SAVINGS

$1257
Compared to a
typical existing home ($/yr)*
$718
Compared to a
typical new home ($/yr)**

This house has made good progress towards optimizing energy performance! Not only is this good news from a financial point of view, it’s also good news for the environment. Did you know that 16% of greenhouse gases generated in the U.S. come from homes?

70HERS RATING

ANNUAL ENERGY SAVINGS

$1078
Compared to a
typical existing home ($/yr)*
$539
Compared to a
typical new home ($/yr)**

This is an admirable score. Although this home is 30% more energy efficient than homes built according to current building code requirements, it is still possible to lower the HERS Index score. A RESNET certified Rater can advise homeowners on what home energy performance features they can add that will add value to their home and improve its comfort level.

80HERS RATING

ANNUAL ENERGY SAVINGS

$898
Compared to a
typical existing home ($/yr)*
$359
Compared to a
typical new home ($/yr)**

You might think this house is doing okay when it comes to home energy efficiency - but the fact is it could do a lot better. Although this house might be performing 20% more efficiently than a standard new home, homes can be built much more energy efficiently. Money invested into a more energy efficient home will help increase its value while improving its comfort level.

90HERS RATING

ANNUAL ENERGY SAVINGS

$718
Compared to a
typical existing home ($/yr)*
$180
Compared to a
typical new home ($/yr)**

This home is 40% more energy efficient than an average resale home and 10% more energy efficient than a standard new home, which is awarded a score of 100 and used as the base against which all other homes are measured. The lower a home ranks on the HERS Index, the better it is both financially and environmentally. Also, a low HERS Index score could help increase a home’s resale value as well! RESNET certified Raters can show you how to improve your house’s ranking on the HERS Index, increase your quality of life and add value to your home.

100HERS RATING

ANNUAL ENERGY SAVINGS

$539
Compared to a
typical existing home ($/yr)*
$0
Compared to a
typical new home ($/yr)**

Your home is at the same level as a standard new home, which meets the current industry standard for home energy efficiency. But that doesn’t mean your home is working at its optimal efficiency! There are still many energy saving measures that you could implement to make your home much more energy efficient, resulting in a safer home environment, lower utility bills and a better effect on the environment.

110HERS RATING

!Your house is not energy efficient and is generating additional costs rather than saving your money

You’re pretty close to bringing your home in line with the current industry standard for energy conservation. However, there’s still a lot of room for improvement, and that can translate directly into an improved quality of life and savings on your home energy bills. This is a good time to look into getting an Energy Improvement Mortgage that can help you make the necessary improvements to your home.

120HERS RATING

!Your house is not energy efficient and is generating additional costs rather than saving your money

This home is 20% less energy efficient than a standard new home. Watch out for the noticeably draftier rooms, the fact that utility bills are higher than a newly constructed home and that the house is either too hot in summer or too cold in winter. While this home isn’t quite the inefficient energy monster, it would be a good idea to get in touch with a certified RESNET Rater to discover what options are available for improving its energy performance.

130HERS RATING

!Your house is not energy efficient and is generating additional costs rather than saving your money

This is the typical resale home score. That means if you’re in the market for a home, this house will be at least 30% less energy efficient than it should be. Therefore, the smart way to buy a home is to determine its HERS Index score before you decide to buy. If you decide to purchase such a house, you should definitely consider taking advantage of an Energy Improvement Mortgage.

140HERS RATING

!Your house is not energy efficient and is generating additional costs rather than saving your money

This score puts this house near the very top of the HERS Index; a position a homeowner definitely doesn’t want to be in! What this translates into, in terms of energy efficiency, is that this home is performing 40% worse than a home adhering to the basic building code requirements. This is probably one of the major reasons for its high energy costs, less than ideal comfort level and, though one might not be directly aware of it, its negative impact on the environment.

150HERS RATING

!Your house is not energy efficient and is generating additional costs rather than saving your money

This house is a WHOPPING 50% LESS ENERGY EFFICIENT THAN A STANDARD NEW HOME! It could be a significant financial drain on the bank account and to the environment in general. A house like this has high energy bills and will be hot in the summer and cold in the winter.

This homeowner should immediately talk to a RESNET certified Home Energy Rater who can advise them on what they can do to:

  • Improve their home’s comfort level.
  • Reduce their energy costs.
  • Make their home more environmentally friendly.

Award-Winning Energy Efficiency

Nationally Recognized for Innovation and Sustainability

Meritage Homes has received numerous third-party awards for leadership in energy-efficient and high-performance homebuilding.

 

Recent recognition includes:

 

11x ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence
Recognized for building homes that meet and exceed ENERGY STAR® standards across multiple years.

EPA Indoor airPLUS® Leader Award
Awarded for advancing healthier indoor air quality and low-emission building practices.

Green Builder® Sustainability Awards
Honored for leadership in green construction and sustainable design.

ENERGY STAR® Certified Homes Market Leader Award
Celebrated for consistently delivering thousands of ENERGY STAR® certified homes each year.

 

These awards represent more than industry accolades — they reflect our commitment to building better homes for real life.

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Find Energy-Efficient Living Near You

Explore how a Meritage home can help you save more, breathe easier, and live more comfortably.

Information and slider developed by and provided with the permission of RESNET®. Meritage is not responsible for the operation of the slider.

 

HERS scale developed by, and used with permission from, RESNET. According to RESNET, each 1-point decrease in the HERS Index corresponds to a 1% reduction in energy consumption compared to the HERS 2006 IECC Reference Home (specifications are based on the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code). Thus, a home with a HERS Index of 65 is 35% more energy efficient than the HERS Reference Home. For more information, visit www.energystar.gov, www.energysavers.gov, and http://www.resnet.us/hers-index. All promotional, marketing, and advertising estimates and claims related to energy savings or performance are derived from third-party suppliers, rating services, utility companies, and/or certified auditors, based on U.S. Department of Energy methodology/information and average energy use and scores. Actual energy savings and performance of any home or any of its features may vary widely, and may be more or less than indicated savings and performance, depending on the personal energy consumption choices of the occupants and changes in energy-provider rates and programs, among other factors. Square footages are approximate and may vary in construction and depending on the standard of measurement used, engineering and municipal requirements, or other site-specific conditions. Estimated savings of Meritage home is based on a comparison to HERS Reference Home and is based on the square footage of the Meritage home, the applicable climate zone, the HERS score for that model of home, a national average utility rate, and a national average annual utility rate increase (for multi-year savings), provided that Meritage homes in California use a California average utility rate and annual rate increase instead of a national average. Actual performance, rates, and rate increases may vary. Visit http://www.meritagehomes.com/featuredescriptions for information and disclaimers about energy-efficient features and associated claims. Not an offer or solicitation to sell real property. Offers to sell real property may only be made and accepted at the sales center for individual Meritage Homes communities. See sales associate for details. Meritage Homes®, Life. Built. Better® and Setting the standard for energy-efficient homes® are registered trademarks of Meritage Homes Corporation. ©2025 Meritage Homes Corporation.