subject: A Guide To Energy Efficiency At Home by:Lee Maynard [print this page] Having energy efficient homes can be the best way we can reduce the amount of electricity we use each year.
There are many things to consider when either building or upgrading one of these energy efficient homes and knowing your options is one of the first steps in making the right decision for you that will fit your budget.
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 easiest things to do for your new home is to upgrade the insulation. To make a large postive change in energy consumption this can be a rather inexpensive option.
Because of the walls being exposed, this is also the best time to do this upgrade and will make it less expensive than trying to do it later on. If you can find the extra money for it, you should look into upgrading the insulation while the home is being built. This insulation can come in many different varieties and new products currently being offered will allow you to increase your insulation factor.
Traditional insulation materials such as fiberglass rolls have been improved. They now come thinner and feature an increase in insulating ability when compared to ones that were offered in years past. Another great choice for a number of homeowners is a solution that is based on recycled materials that offer great insulation properties for less money.
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 the insulation in these locations upgraded while construction is going on will not cost you much money and will significantly lower your energy costs.
Another area that can help in these energy efficient homes is the type and location of your windows. Some improved window designs currently being offered these days will block the heat that can leak through the glass, and that will reduce your heating costs considerably.
For a small upgrade cost per window you can choose double paned windows that are several times more efficient than the standard windows that are offered by builders. 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 will allow you to reduce your heating and energy bills and will pay for itself a number of times over the life of your house. Also changing these windows out for more efficient models when the home is being built is a lot less expensive since the window frame is exposed. If you replace the windows later it will be a more difficult task since you will have to remove the siding and insulation and you can risk damaging the insulation 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. To help you with your lighting requirements skylights also can be easy to install and be fairly inexpensive as well. By using this natural light for your home you will have to have fewer lights on during the day and can reduce your energy consumption considerably.
