ENERGY EFFICENT HOUSE

CONSERVE HOUSE ENERGY
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With energy costs rising significantly, interest in energy efficient house plans has risen, too. But what exactly comprises an energy efficient home design?

The most important factor in an energy efficient house plan is the "building envelope." This consists of a home's foundation, walls, roof, windows, and doors. The building envelope not only protects you and your family, but it also helps regulate the indoor environment, and controls the flow of energy between the home's interior and exterior. So your choice of walls, roof, windows, and doors is critical to having an energy efficient home.

Much of an energy efficient home design depends on your goals and your budget. Some people want an ultra-energy efficient home that collects solar energy, uses geothermal heating and cooling, and other technologies--all of which add (sometimes significant) cost to building a home. Those technologies are great, and if you have the budget, we encourage you to learn more about them and invest in them. Our site contains lots of good information about these technologies.

Other people are willing to sacrifice a "normal" looking home and build a dome or other house design that takes advantage of every bit of solar and interior energy.

However, you needn't break the bank OR have an odd-looking home in order to have an energy efficient home. Following are simple, low cost things to look for in energy efficient house plans:

Wall construction and materials
Added insulation
Energy efficient windows
EnergyStar-certified heating and cooling equipment

When choosing your appliances and lighting and plumbing fixtures, definitely look at the many options now available for energy efficient versions, too. Consider an on-demand water heater to greatly reduce the energy costs versus a typical hot water heater.

Don't Overspend on a House Plan



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Another Low-Cost, Low-Hassle Strategy: Passive Solar
Designers (like us!) can customize the location of windows and walls to maximize solar gain in the winter. Then, for maximum cooling in the summer, energy efficient house plans can incorporate awnings, porches, and trees to shade windows and roofs.
In addition, an energy efficient home designer can incorporate thoughtful window placement to provide more natural light during the day to reduce the need for electric lighting.

For people in warm climates, energy efficient house plans can adjust the amount of overhang on your roof and soffit. This simple design technique can greatly minimize the daytime heating by the sun, yet not obstruct the pleasant light that the sun provides during the day.