Building An Energy Efficent Home

Designing the building  of energy efficient homes that conform to the many choices faced by home builders is challenging. Any style of home can be adapted to require relatively minimal amounts of energy for heating and cooling. Seek an architect and builder who will use energy efficient designs and construction methods. Regardless of the aesthetic design of your home building project, demand a high R-value for building materials, a tightly sealed thermal envelope and controlled ventilation. These elements will reduce your home’s heating and cooling bills and help minimize negative impacts on the environment.

Prior to embarking on energy efficient homes building project, carefully evaluate the site and its climate to determine the best design and orientation. Work with your architect and builder to prepare a design that accommodates the proper insulation levels, moisture dynamics and aesthetics. An efficient design takes into account appropriate windows, doors, heating, cooling, and ventilation for systems and appliances. Energy efficient homes can be built simply and inexpensively but more complex designs come with additional cost. Consider your budget and timeline along with the ease of construction, the abilities of the builder, and your municipality’s building code compliance.

The thermal envelope shields the living space from the outdoor elements. It includes wall and roof construction, insulation, windows, doors, finishes, weather stripping and air/vapor retarders. Qualified builders will advise you through homes construction about the appropriate energy efficient options suitable for your design and climate. Energy efficient homes have much higher insulation R-values than required by most local building codes. This is a measure of thermal resistance or how well insulation is able to resist heat escaping through walls, ceilings, floors, attics and crawlspaces. Air/vapor retarders minimize water vapor migration. Water vapor that migrates into walls or attics must be directed either outside or inside to be removed by the homes’ ventilation system.

Energy efficient homes limit windows to less than 10% of the floor area. A typical home loses over a quarter of its heat through windows and even modern energy efficient windows insulate far less than a wall. Adequate insulation and air sealing will help significantly reduce energy loss. Proper air sealing can reduce utility costs in energy efficient homes by as much as 50% over non-energy efficient homes.

Since energy efficient homes are tightly sealed it is important to deliberately ventilate them in a controlled way. This reduces air moisture infiltration and minimizes health risks from indoor air pollutants. It also promotes a more comfortable indoor environment and reduces the likelihood of structural damage from excessive moisture accumulation.

Energy efficient homes require smaller heating systems. Many energy efficient designs incorporate alternative energy uses such as solar power as the primary source of heat energy. Common choices for alternative heating include radiant in-floor heating from a standard gas-fired water heater, a small boiler, furnace or electric heat pump. If an air conditioner is required a small unit can be sufficient.

Homes incorporating energy efficient measures have many advantages. They feel more comfortable, indoor humidity is better and drafts are reduced.