You’ve dreamed about it for years and saved up enough money for the down payment. Now, it’s time to build your new home!
Since the recession, the housing market has come back in a big way. Studies show that Americans built about 7 million new homes in the last 10 years!
As you make decisions about the layout and building materials, you also should consider how to increase the energy efficiency of your new home. Keep reading to learn our top 5 tips for building an energy efficient home.
1. Start Building an Energy Efficient Home From the Blueprint Stage
The sooner you start planning energy efficient upgrades for your home, the better! Changing blueprints last minute to accommodate an upgrade costs more time and money than if you had planned it from the blueprint phase. Let your contractor know as soon as possible that you want to incorporate energy efficient upgrades.
2. Choose the Right Insulation
An easy way to reduce the energy you use to heat and cool your home is to get the right kind of insulation. The thick layer of insulation in your walls holds the cool air inside on a hot day while also repelling the heat. On cold days, the insulation traps the heat inside while keeping out the cold.
3. Add Solar Panels to the Property
One thing you can do to bring clean energy into your home, even for older homes, is to install solar panels. Most homeowners choose to install panels on their roofs, but you can also place them on the ground. Make sure to orient the panels so they can absorb as much of the sun’s rays as possible.
Many solar installation companies like Blue Raven Solar can help you apply for grants and rebates to help reduce the cost of your solar panels. Even without the rebates, solar panels pay for themselves over time.
4. Airtight Seals
Another point of weakness for home energy efficiency is the windows and doors. Make sure to add weather stripping and seal any gaps between the window/door and the walls.
5. Shine Some Light on Your Green Home
Some homeowners would say that the easiest way to make your home a green home is to use energy efficient LED lights instead of the old-fashioned incandescent or fluorescent ones.
Conserve Energy To Preserve the Future
When you focus on home energy efficiency, you’ll notice your energy bills go down and you’ll lower your family’s carbon footprint! The benefits are well worth a little planning while you’re in the building phase.
If you can’t afford the clean energy upgrades right away, you can always make plans to add them in the future while you’re tweaking the blueprints. Make sure to talk to your contractor about your future ideas for home upgrades so they can help build them into the plan.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article and that you learned some great tips for building an energy efficient home. If you’re looking for more helpful articles about home tips, interior design, and more, check out the rest of our blog today!
