Energy Efficient New Home Design: 5 Simple Things You Can Do
Energy efficient homes can not only save you energy, but can also help you save with your monthly bills. In fact, if you replace your home’s five most frequently used light fixtures or bulbs with Energy Star models, you can save $75 a year.
So if you’re looking to build an energy efficient house that can save you dollars and fit your lifestyle… Continue reading to make sure you’re incorporating these 5 construction tips.
Get Good Appliances
No matter how you decide to power your house, your appliances are what uses that power up. The energy star rating is the highest gold standard in eco-friendly energy-saving appliances.
Appliances with the energy star rating focus on using the least amount of energy and water. They also avoid vampire energy drain that most appliances use when they’re still connected to power.
Get Solar Panels
Solar panels are more affordable than ever, and so long as you install your solar panel system before the end of 2021, you may still be eligible for a hefty tax credit.
If you install a solar panel system in 2020, you get a tax credit worth 26% of the system’s installment. If you wait until 2021, that drops to only 22% and goes away after that.
Insulate Wisely
Insulation is the key to staying comfortable all year round and keeping your energy bills low. Proper insulation keeps the heat in and cold out, or vice versa, more effectively and reduces how much energy you waste just on interior climate control.
Couple this effort with a smart thermostat so you’re only working to heat or cool the home when you’re actually there.
And don’t forget the windows either. Your windows can have a massive impact on your insulation quality, especially if they’re big. Make sure they’re not drafty and use them to regulate the temperature instead of an HVAC as much as possible.
Consider Grey Tanks
Grey tanks sort white water, used for drinking, from greywater, which can be used again but shouldn’t be drunk, from black water, which needs to go to the sewer.
It’s a safe and efficient way to make your home more eco friendly and waste less water since every drop is used as many times as possible.
Focus on Sustainable Resources
The materials you use to create your home are just as important as the tactics you use to create an energy efficient home. For example, earth ships in Taos, New Mexico, built their homes usually by upcycling trash, and they created some amazing structures.
This tactic isn’t possible everywhere due to various zoning laws and HOA regulations, but you can still make an effort to use sustainable materials as much as possible.
An Energy Efficient Home Design Helps to Create a Better Future
When you use an energy efficient home design when you plan your home, you’re making a statement that you expect the future to be better, and you want to be a part of it. These energy efficient home ideas are the top choices for your energy efficient house to change the future.
Ready to start planning your environmentally friendly home? Check out our available floor plans here.