Posts Tagged ‘energy efficient homes’

Having energy efficient homes can be the best way we can reduce the amount of electricity we use each year.

One of the first steps you can take to make the best choice that will your budget is to know all of your options, since there are a number of different things to consider when upgrading or building one of these energy efficient homes.

Most of the new homes currently being built have energy efficient designs. If you are looking at building a new home, there are many options for you to help with making the home more efficient to operate and ultimately less expensive.

One of the the simplest things you can do for your new house is to upgrade the insulation. This can be a fairly inexpensive option that can have a major impact on energy savings.

Becuase the walls are exposed, this will be the best time to get this upgrade done, and it will cost you less money than trying to do it at a later date. If you can afford to do it, it would be a good idea to upgrade your insulation during the construction process. This insulation can come in many different varieties and new products currently being offered will allow you to increase your insulation factor.

Some of these are improvements to the traditional insulation materials like fiberglass rolls. These are higher in insulating properties and also smaller in thickness than they were previously. There are other options also available that use recycled materials and they can provide excellent insulation at a fraction of the price.

Some builders will also only insulate the basic areas of the house when it is being built and overlook some areas that should be insulated, such as crawlspaces and attics. Having them upgrade the insulation in these areas can be a minor expense during construction that can have a big impact on lowering your energy costs over the lifespan of your home.

Another area that can help in these energy efficient homes is the type and location of your windows. There are very advanced window designs available today that can save you a lot of heating costs by blocking the leakage of your heat through the glass.

Some of the double paned windows on the market today are several times more efficient than standard offerings from builders and are only a small upgrade cost per window. These newer style windows actually use a specialized gas that is sealed between the panes and it will help lower the transfer of heat through the panes and also it will reduce drafts.

Upgrading these windows now can really help you lower your heating bills and will pay for itself several times over for the life of your home. Switching these windows to energy efficient types when the house is being constructed will be less expensive since the window frame is exposed. Switching the windows out later is harder to do and you will have to remove the insulation and the siding, which may compromise the insulation put in around around the window. It would be frustrating to have changed the window out later for a more efficient version and realize that you were losing energy through drafts that were created when the window was replaced.

The placement of these windows is also important. Energy efficient homes will often have larger windows on the side of their building that receives the most sun to allow them to take advantage of sunlight to reduce their electricity bills for lighting. Also, skylights are easy to install and relatively inexpensive and can help with your lighting needs as well. You can lower your energy usage by a considerable amount by using natural light, and that will reduce the need to have so many lights on in the home during daylight hours.

For a complete guide to making your home energy efficient please visit www.residentialrenewableenergy.com.