TIP OF THE WEEK

How many miles per gallon does your home get?

Everyone wants the inside scoop on how to get the best deal. Ironically, consumers will do a bunch of research over a $500 smart phone and relatively little for the largest purchase of their lives, their homes.

Most home buyers focus on price and payments, however, factoring in a home’s energy consumption costs could save tens of thousands of dollars over years of ownership. Comparing the performance and construction quality of one home to another is often not apples-to-apples. Newly built homes tend to be more energy-efficient than older homes, but total performance is also influenced by the builder and design, said CR Herro, a building scientist and vice president of environmental affairs for Meritage Homes. HOME ENERGY RATING SCORE When buying a new or resale home, buyers can use a shopping tool to help them understand the anticipated costs of a home’s energy bills. The Home Energy Rating Score, or HERS, is the industry standard for measuring a home’s energy efficiency.

Think of HERS like miles-per-gallon fuel economy for your car, except that a lower HERS is better:

• According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a typical resale home in the U.S. rates a HERS 130 and costs approximately $200,000 in utilities over a 30-year mortgage.

• Utilities for a home that scores 100 would cost 30 percent less, saving $60,000 in operating cost.

• Utilities for a home that scores 65 would cost approximately half, saving $100,000 in operating cost over 30 years.

More than 2 million homes in the U.S. have been HERS rated for energy efficiency, generating energy savings of $268 million in 2016 alone, according to RESNet. More homes are being rated as home builders increase their participation in the HERS program and post the ratings for the homes they build. To find the HERS for a home, a list of participating home builders and tips for improving the energy efficiency of your home, go online to: www.hersindex.com/knowthescore — Brandpoint

THE LIST

According to Forbes, the top 10 cars that should last for more than 200,000 miles are:

1. Toyota Sequoia

2. Ford Expedition

3. Chevrolet Suburban

4. Toyota 4Runner

5. GMC Yukon XL

6. Chevrolet Tahoe

7. GMC Yukon

8. Toyota Tacoma

9. Toyota Avalon

10. Honda Odyssey

TECH TALK

Google, Levi’s team up for upgraded jean jacket

Search engine giant Google and and one of the oldest clothing companies recently introduced wearable technology for bike riders. Working with Levi’s, the companies debuted its “Commuter Trucker Jacket with Jacquard By Google” for riders when their hands are occupied while steering a bicycle. The traditional-looking trucker jean jacket gives riders the capability to control the functions of their phones by making any of four hand gestures on the trackcuff, such as double-tapping, swiping upward and downward or completely covering the cuff. The jacket, which sells for $350, also features extra pockets, reflective details and extra back panel.

NUMBER TO KNOW

$5.4

4 trillion: According to a new report from Black Knight, the amount of equity a homeowner in the U.S. was able to tap in 2017 was $5.4 trillion — which is a 10 percent increase from the pre-recession peak in 2005.

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