The Only Energy Advantage Certified Homes in Oklahoma
October 24, 2025
Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods is the ONLY home builder in Oklahoma to provide a Heating and Cooling Guarantee. For the first three years you own your new Ideal home*, your heating and cooling cost is guaranteed not to exceed a set amount. If it does, get reimbursed for the difference.
Only Builder to Guarantee Heating & Cooling Costs in Oklahoma
Every Ideal home is tested to assign a HERS® (Home Energy Rating System) Score. The HERS® Index is the nationally recognized industry standard test for inspecting, measuring, and then calculating a home’s energy efficiency. The lower the HERS® Sore, the more efficiently your home heats and cools.
A Low HERS Score is Not All That Matters
Aesthetics have a big impact on a home’s HERS® Score. Some builders taut low HERS® Scores because they build homes with few windows and low ceiling heights. Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods finds the most cost-effective ways to provide industry-leading energy efficiency while also building homes with tall ceilings and lots of natural light.
Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods determines your home’s HERS® Score with a blower door test. This measures how much air leaks from your home. Because no matter how good your insulation is, if air leaks out (or comes in) around your windows and doors, you’re losing efficiency. Industry experts often are shocked at how well-sealed Ideal homes are beyond other builders' homes.
How the Blower Door Test Works:
A technician attaches a specialized, tarp-like door with a fan to your front entrance. The fan pulls air out of the house, depressurizing it. This turns your entire home into a gentle vacuum, drawing air into the house through any leaks.
The technician can then measure the inflow of air and determine how “leaky” the home is. This data is used to determine your HERS® Score. Once your home has been tested, our partner, Environments for Living, compares the actual score to the expected HERS Score for your specific floor plan. This is an opportunity to find any leaks or other areas of improvement prior to closing.
Guaranteed Heating & Cooling Costs
Most Ideal homes qualify for the Energy Advantage Certified Guarantee which guarantees that your heating and cooling costs won't exceed what they should for your specific home and floor plan.* The Energy Advantage Certified Guarantee lasts for three years. If your heating and cooling usage exceeds the guaranteed amount, our energy partner will calculate the difference based on your actual energy costs and write you a check.
It’s that simple.
Upon Purchasing Your Ideal Home, You Will Receive:
Access to view your Home Energy Rating certificate:
- The guaranteed annual energy use to heat and cool your home
- The full report detailing the HERS® Score for your home
Here is an example from an actual Ideal Home HERS® Score you’ll receive in your Home Energy Rating Certificate:
Your guarantee will include two important numbers:
- Electric kWh (kilowatt hours) - the amount of electricity needed to cool your home each year
- Natural gas (Therms) - the amount of natural gas needed to heat your home each year
Note, this is not the total amount of electricity or natural gas used in your home, but what is used to heat and cool your home.
How does our partner, Environments for Living, guarantee this amount?
They use a formula that takes the three hottest months of the year (when natural gas usage will be at its minimum) and the three coolest months of the year (when electricity usage will be at its minimum) to find your average monthly costs for any energy use beyond heating and cooling your home (i.e. cooking, hot water usage, lights, etc.).
They will subtract this average monthly usage from your utility bills to find out how much more natural gas and electricity your home is having to use to heat and cool. This is how they determine whether a home exceeds the guaranteed amount to heat and cool your home.**
- Homeowners must register their home here within 30 days of closing to take advantage of the guarantee.
- For more information and details about the guarantee, please visit Environments For Living here.
* Dow's Hills homes and Pine Creek homes do not qualify for the heating and cooling guarantee due to unique features of these homes.
** Conditions apply - see EFL website for details
