Thanks in large part to escalating energy costs, people are taking energy-efficient home design more seriously than ever. Whether you're starting from scratch or renovating an older home, there are many elements you can include to make a house more efficient. Below are just a few ideas to consider if you're interested in embracing the green home design mindset.
Reflective & Insulated Roofs
Considering how much it costs to heat or cool a home, optimizing heat retention and dissipation is a no-brainer. How you choose to roof your home makes a big difference. For hotter climates, highly reflective roofing material can significantly reduce AC-related energy consumption. In colder areas, using structural insulated panels is a wise choice.
Earth-Sheltered Construction
If you've ever been in a true wine cellar, you know how effective they can be at maintaining a constant temperature. Earth-sheltered homes, such as those built into the side of a hill are easier to heat or cool, which saves a lot of money in the long run. Furthermore, insulated foundations save energy while lowering construction costs.
Advanced House Framing
Otherwise known as optimum value engineering, advanced house framing is an energy-efficient design approach that's been gathering steam in recent years. Basically, it reduces the cost of labor and materials by up to $1,000 during the construction of a home. More importantly, it can reduce heating costs by up to 5% by improving overall home R-values.
Passive Heating & Cooling
One of the best ways to make a home more energy-efficient is to employ passive heating and cooling techniques. Installing Low-E Energy Star windows will improve the effectiveness of passive solar heating in the winter. You can also do things like elongating roof overhangs to improve shading and positioning large windows on the south side of the building.
Use Layout-Specific Materials
Almost any type of home can be highly energy-efficient with a little planning. The whole-house systems approach to residential design stresses looking at the big picture. For instance, using adobe walls in desert environments can keep a home cool during the day, and warm at night. Likewise, certain ornamental shrubs and trees can help to combat the heat island effect in built-up urban areas.
The design strategies covered above are a great start if you're serious about energy efficiency. However, there's far more that can be done to reduce home energy consumption such as the installation of tankless water heaters, and smart energy-monitoring devices or even London doors. If you stretch your brain a little, you'll be sure to come up with many more novel ideas in short order.
This article was brought to you by Brooke Chaplan of Northern Comfort.
