Steps to Building Energy Efficient Homes
Steps to Building Energy Efficient Homes
July 2, 2018 | No Comments
One of the most significant recent trends in home construction is building energy efficient homes. Reducing the cost of energy bills is just one favorite reason for constructing this type of home. Another is that people want to cut back on their damage to the environment by minimizing their footprint.
Building energy efficient homes involves using a variety of techniques. You can combine methods to create a very energy efficient home. Let’s take a look at some of the steps that you can choose to build such a house.
Educating One’s Self
The first step to building an energy efficient home is to educate one’s self on what’s available in the market and which items have the biggest impact. By knowing this information ahead of time, you can reduce the cost and effectively plan the house. You can also select the best contractors and subcontractors.
Model Your Home Energy Use
Several software programs allow you to estimate the energy use of a home based on the materials utilized, appliances installed, and the local climate. Experimenting with this software will help you to determine how to reduce energy use. If you don’t have access to this software, calculations like this can be done by hand. You can also hire experts to do the work for you.
Properly Seal And Insulate The Building
One of the most significant steps that you can take to cut down on the use of energy is to seal and insulate the structure correctly. During both hot and cold weather, people will use temperature control appliances to maintain the desired climate in their home. By sealing the house and insulating the walls, you will be able to cut down on the need to moderate the climate inside your home.
Walls and ceilings are not the only parts of your home that need to be sealed and insulated. Windows and doors also need to be appropriately taken care of as they are a significant source of drafts. Thicker windows help to prevent breezes.
Take some time to consider the different insulation out there. Depending on your region and local building codes, different types of insulation are required for different kinds of climates (i.e., are you trying to keep cold air in or out of the building?)
Select An Energy Efficient Water Heater and Appliances
People love to have hot water ready for use when they want it. At the same time, heating water and keeping it hot takes a fair amount of energy. Select a water heater that uses the least power possible. Water heaters that don’t have to use energy continuously are the best.
Other appliances can be big eaters of power too. Look for Energy Star rated appliances and electronics for your home.
Find Energy Efficient Lighting
LED and other energy efficient lighting can also cut down on your power bill. These types of lights use far less energy than other options. They also last longer than other forms of lighting and can offer more light at lower wattages.
Building energy efficient homes is a great way to create a more sustainable future. The more energy efficient and zero footprint homes that we have, the less power we need to generate. Through that, the better we treat the planet that we rely on to live.
For more information on building energy efficient homes contact Grayson Homes on 919-578-6222.