The Exterior And Interior Features Your Home Has To HaveBuilding your own home can be exciting yet stressful. There are tons of decisions to be made and a budget to consider. One of the most important decisions a homeowner can make will be to design a home that is energy efficient. Planning your home with these energy saving features takes advantage of the most recent building technology and must be installed while the home is being built. Most importantly, you are helping to protect the environment while saving yourself money.
EXTERIOR FEATURES Advanced House Framing According to toptenreviews.com, advanced house framing is a new technique which uses less wood and more insulation. "According to the U.S. Department of Energy, using advanced framing can lower material costs by $500 to $1,000 for a 1,200- to 2,400-square-foot house. It can also cut labor costs by three to five percent and annual heating and cooling costs by up to five percent." Cool Roofs These roofs are especially designed for homes in warmer climates where the air conditioning is used most of the year. The roofing material is made from a reflective material built into the the shingles, or tiles. These roofs are designed to reflect sunlight and lower roof temperatures. Exterior doors and Windows Exterior doors come with energy performance ratings. This score will let you know how well the door keeps heat or air conditioning inside. Energy efficient windows are a smart investment on the part of a homeowner. According to Department of Energy studies, new energy efficient windows can save the average homeowner between 10% and 40% on their energy bill. Low emissive (Low-E) windows keep heat inside while facilitating daylight to pass through. Not only that, but they allow A/C units to operate more efficiently, and can prevent fading of fabrics, floor coverings and furniture from sunlight. Skylights Surprisingly, skylights can improve a home's heating, lighting, and ventilation. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends that skylights be no larger than 5% of the floor area in rooms with several windows, and no more than 15% of the floor area in rooms with minimal windows. Exterior Paint A home's paint color can have an impact upon heating and cooling. A lighter color will help keep your home cooler, while a darker color will help your home retain heat. Air Management Tight construction which minimizes air leaks can help decrease heating and air conditioning costs by 15 percent, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Properly sealed ductwork inside prevents air leaks and condensation, and tight airways leading outside can reduce energy bills. All joints where walls, floors and roofs come together need to be properly sealed. Weather stripping around doors and windows reduces air flow and prevents dust from coming inside. INTERIOR Water Heating According to The U.S. Energy Information Administration in a 2009 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, water heating can account for almost 20 percent of a home's total energy use. Consider an energy-efficient water heater with thicker side walls with higher insulation values. Insulation Insulation helps keep a home stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. The R-value of insulation tells you how well it will resist heat transfer. The higher the R-value, the better the heat resistance. Homes may have a combination of insulation types packed into ceiling, wall and floor cavities such as blown and batt insulation. Some types of insulation are specifically designed for certain areas or certain types of homes. Flooring Choosing the correct type of flooring can impact your energy costs. Rugs and carpet can trap heat, keeping your home warmer in the winter. Choosing the correct flooring will help keep your home warmer or cooler, depending on your needs. Fans Installing fans in your home can help save on air conditioning costs. Ceiling fans come in a large selection of colors, styles, and shapes, and can add to the decor of your home without looking out of place. Ceiling fans can also be dialed to help keep warm air from rising but circulating closer to the living spaces. Appliances and Fixtures When purchasing appliances and fixtures, check out each's Energy star rating. High Energy-star ratings on an item indicates its energy savings. According to energystar.gov, Products can earn the ENERGY STAR label by meeting the energy efficiency requirements set forth in ENERGY STAR product specifications. EPA establishes these specifications based on the following set of key guiding principles:
A programmable thermostat will allow a homeowner to save heating and cooling costs by allow them to set the thermostat to adjust for changes in temperature, especially during the day when the home may be empty. It can be set to increase or lower the temperature before the arrival of the homeowners, thereby making the home more comfortable. Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs Light Emitting Diode (LED) and Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) bulbs have revolutionized energy-efficient lighting. LED bulbs last up to 10 times as long as compact fluorescents, and far longer than typical incandescents. They are durable, cool (do not heat up), mercury free, and more efficient than regular light bulbs. The are more cost effective when calculating the replacement factor of regular light bulbs. CFL bulbs are four times as efficient and last ten times longer than regular light bulbs. They are less expensive, reduce water and air pollution, provide high quality light and are more versatile than regular incandescents. Induction Cooking Stove Induction cooking stoves can reduce energy use by up to 60% over other cooking stoves by using an electromagnetic mechanism to convert electric current into heat energy with less energy being consumed. Planning for an energy-efficient home while in the design stage of home building will reap rewards in energy savings. By taking the time to research those features which will save you money over the course of the years you live in your home, you are taking advantage of all the technological advances being made in home construction. Harper Construction> specializes in high-end construction and remodeling. Browse our entire portfolio of homes at Houzz.com. The Harper Construction team> is a collection of industry professionals and craftsmen who all have the experience, dedication, and knowledge to make your project a successful one. We hope you found this information informative and helpful. If you found this information helpful , click "Like" or "Share" below and post this to your social media pages. Your "Likes" and "Shares" help others like you find the information they need. We are happy for you to re-publish this article on your website or in your company newsletter with credit to Harper Construction as the author and a link to our website, chrisharperconstruction.com. The URL for this article is http://www.chrisharperconstruction.com/blog/energy-efficient-features-every-home-should-have. Email us with any questions.
15 Comments
7/14/2020 10:38:08 am
This will be very useful to homeowners. Energy efficiency is a must,specially nowadays. I didn't have any knowledge of this information before, so overwhelming.
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8/30/2020 05:17:27 am
Energy efficient home can save a lots of money. Its really important because it will save a lot energy also. Good post. Thnaks for sharing.
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8/31/2020 11:07:26 am
Great idea. I think every home should have this kind of power efficient features. It will save a lot of energy! Really appreciate your work, keep it up!
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9/4/2020 07:50:06 am
Its really important to save energy. We must stop wasting energy and we have to be effecient. good article
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9/5/2020 02:40:33 pm
Energy effeciency is really important. I think we sould save energy for the future. Thanks for the awareness post.
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9/6/2020 07:23:26 am
I think effeciency is cleverly easiness. So it would wise to save energy for future.
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9/15/2020 06:34:10 am
Really appreciate for your post. I think its really important to save energy !
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11/26/2020 05:24:36 am
This is a very informative blog, thanks for sharing about these energy efficient features every home should have. It will help a lot; these types of content should get appreciated. I will bookmark your site; I hope to read more such informative contents in future… great post!!I found this Insultech.co.nz Having loads of data, if possible do have a look.
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4/26/2021 03:05:26 pm
My cousin really wants to have a more efficient home because she wants to save more money. She would really like to get some help from a professional in order to make sure that it has the kinds of systems that it needs. I liked what you said about how skylights can improve ventilation, lighting, and heating, but shouldn't be more than 5% of the floor in order to be safer.
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I like that you talked about how there are combinations of insulation tyes that can be added to the home's ceiling, wall, and floor. I hope I get the best insulation in my home since it is the first time that I will be living in a state where it snows during winter. It might be a shock to my body if I experience too much cold, so insulating the house would be the best thing to do.
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8/27/2021 04:49:51 pm
I'm glad you mentioned that it is smart to invest in energy-efficient windows. My energy bills have been really high this month. It seems like it might be a good idea for me to find some new windows to invest in.
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8/30/2021 10:18:10 am
I'd like get some insulation to keep my house cooler so I can save on energy. That would help me save money too. But it all depends on what services I can find.
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11/29/2021 12:26:02 am
It is a very nice post. I like that new energy efficient windows save the energy bill. It is really very helpful covering every detail of exterior And interior Features of home. Keep sharing details.
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What a fantastic post, Harper Construction! I recently renovated my home with some of these energy-efficient features, like the advanced house framing and energy-efficient windows, and I’ve already noticed a drop in my utility bills. It's amazing how a few smart choices can make such a big difference for both my wallet and the environment!
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