Energy Efficient Buildings

Building Energy Efficient Buildings

Introduction

Increasing building energy efficiency can go a long way into helping to trim energy costs and therefore reside in a manner that is more environmental-friendly. This is easily achievable if you are looking to construct a new building with energy and money savings in mind .

However, even old buildings can be renovated so that they meet the guidelines set by Department of Energy. This post talks about the basic things that can be done to improve building’s overal enenrgy efficiency. The tips are both for a new and old ones.

Whole House Systems Approach

Whether you are remodeling an existing home or designing a new one, it is important that your home’s efficient application of energy and sustainability is looked at from a comprehensive and whole-house standpoint.

This approach has significant long-term benefits. Not only is an eco-friendly and sustainable home more comfortable and durable but it is also a lot cheaper to run as well as maintain. If your home has a higher score on home energy, its resale value will be significantly increased and could be as high as 12%.

1. For New Homes, Consider Using Passive Design

When putting up homes from scratch, it is advisable to consider incorporating passive design solutions. This is because passive design contains 7 main components that allow you to make the most of insulation, orientation, glazing, shading, thermal mass and ventilation so as to maximize resources like sunlight and also enhance passive heating and cooling.

Another thing with the passive design is that it helps minimize the need for cooling and heating solutions. This in turn lowers energy costs.

2. Asses The Energy Uses Of Your Existing Home

In case you are remodeling your existing home, you should first conduct a thorough energy audit or carry out extensive energy assessment. To conduct the assessment, you can visit the Department of Energy website (or equivalent) for tools and guidelines. The Building Performance Institute (bpi.org) has been recommended by department of energy and will also perform for you professional auditing should you require it.

Engineering features of kit homes can help with your energy costs, too. They are rated with five-star energy efficiency. This has much to do with the materials used in the homes, their tightly coordinated assembly, quality insulation and double glazed windows.

3. Assess Your Current Appliances and Electronics

Following great technological advances seen in the last couple of years, many electronic appliances being manufactured today are energy-saving and they have really changed how we use home energy.

The trend today is for manufacturers to come up with gadgets that are not only efficient but also which consume less energy thereby lowering your utility bills. EPA, together with the Department of Energy, has initiated Energy Star Program which helps consumers to minimize their electricity costs through using Energy Star equipment.

Check the current appliances and electronics you use at home to see their energy ratings. In case you find out that they are not outdated, it is in your best interests to replace them with units that are more energy efficient. In doing this, you need to approximate what your appliances are costing you to run.

Visit Energy.gov’s Estimating Appliance and Home Electronic Energy Use article to assess the energy ratings of your appliances.

There are also some additional things that you can employ to reduce your energy bills. They include selecting appropriate power strip which prevents energy from being wasted in case appliances are not being used.

4. Checking Out Insulation And Air-sealing

Sometimes, all it takes to improve the energy efficiency of your home is to ensure that your insulation and air-sealing are at their prime. According to experts (AirconWA), research shows that when done properly, insulation and air-sealing have the potential of significantly reducing the load on cooling and heating. Most of the insulating materials used nowadays employ radiant barriers and reflective insulation techniques, and these help in reducing heat flow resistance in all seasons.

Put in other words, it means that by having proper insulation on external and internal walls, doors and windows, you will be able to keep your home warm both during summer and winter and not have to overload your HVAC systems.

If you need a tool to help you calculate the amount of insulation that you require for your climate, there is number of calculators that can help (example).

5. Make The Most Of Natural Sunlight For Your Day Lighting Needs

If you make the most of the natural sunlight, it is possible to reduce your reliance on artificial lighting. For new homes, it means designing them in such a way that the living areas are to the north of the home. This way, you are sure to get sufficient lighting even during the winter season.

To maximize your use of natural sunlight, you need to use appropriate windows and skylights. As a homeowner, you need to know that windows that face south and which have shading will allow less light in the summer although they will allow much more winter sunlight. While east or west facing windows are effective in letting in sunlight in the evening and morning, they also allow too much heat during summer.

Also, they create glare. For north-facing windows, they permit natural light at all times. They also have less glare and heating in summers.

6. Examine Your Space Heating And Cooling

If you want to tell if your space heating is sufficiently efficient, you need to check your space coolers and heater’s energy star ratings. There are plenty of resources that you as a homeowner can take advantage of to assess your space cooling and heating.

In the case of newly-built homes, you may turn to energy solutions such as geothermal air-source and ground-source systems as they can be very cost-saving and also offer sustainable substitutes to the fuel-guzzling systems.

7. Conserve Water

Another great way to make your home greener is to conserve water. One of the most notable ways to do this is rainwater harvesting. A rainwater harvesting system can be easily implemented at home. The basics of such a system include a catchment area, a conveyance system, storage system, and a re-distribution system. Also, installing low-flow showerheads and toilets can make a huge difference in the amount of water you use, and you probably won't even notice the difference in daily life.

8. Mull Over Water Heating

There are some really simple DIY tips and tricks that can help significantly reduce your monthly heating bills. One of the simplest things you can do at your home is to insulate your hot water pipes. Another thing is to reduce the temperature at which water needs to heat. These simple tricks can lower your utility bills every month.

You may also want to consider using solar technology since solar panels only use renewable energy from the sun. Initially, it may cost you significantly to install solar water heaters. However, you will easily recoup this amount in just 2-3 years.

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