Comptroller Susan Combs said Thursday that Texans could save $13.7 billion on their utility bills over the next seven years if every single-family home in the state increased its energy efficiency by 20 percent.

A single household could potentially save $1,791 to $2,507 on electricity bills over that period, and with 87 percent of Texas’ 6.3 million homes valued at $200,000 or less, this efficiency gain represents significant savings to most Texas families.

Combs says this is possible when consumers are armed with credible, understandable energy-efficiency information when buying a home or considering home energy upgrades. The comptroller is urging consumer education and the development of a voluntary energy rating system.

“When you shop for a car, you can look at the gas mileage rating,” Combs says. “There is no widely used energy rating system for homes.”

Energy evaluation systems, home-energy ratings and mortgage programs allowing buyers to roll the cost of energy improvements into their home loans have existed for years, but the public is largely unaware of them. Requiring mandatory energy ratings on millions of homes would be difficult to implement.

“As energy costs increase, and as concerns for national energy security and the environment heighten, consumer awareness is changing,” Combs says. “With relevant, accurate information, the power to save energy is in the hands of the consumer. And if consumers want energy efficient homes, the marketplace will respond.”