When building a home from scratch, one of the must-have components is to make it as energy efficient as possible. The rising cost of living and climate change makes it imperative for every homeowner to figure out how to save money.
It’s best to do this during the blueprints of building your home. But what should you keep in mind when designing an eco-friendly home? This article will tell you exactly how to create an energy-efficient home from scratch.
Use ICF Blocks To Insulate Your Home
When designing your home, you may choose wood framing to cut costs. However, if you’re building an energy-efficient home, this is not a great option.
Wood materials and some insulation don’t always prevent air from escaping from the house. This keeps your heating and cooling costs higher than you would like for them to be.
Instead, it’s best to use ICF construction when building an eco-friendly home. Concrete is an excellent absorber of heat due to its thermal mass.
IFC blocks can retain and smooth larger temperature changes, helping keep a home more comfortable. It may cost more to use IFC materials upfront, but you’ll see major differences in your energy bills in the long run.
Pay Attention to Where You’re Building Your Home
The location you choose to build your home will affect its heating and cooling abilities. You want to build your home where it can take advantage of the sun’s angles.
For example, the sun is at a low angle during the winter midday. Also, during the summer, its angle is higher during this time. Therefore, your home should be positioned at a certain angle to take advantage of these two angles.
Of course, it may take some time to plan this out correctly. But when you find the right position will make a huge difference in how hot or cool your home is during different seasons.
Be Sure To Work With an Architect Well Knowledge of Smart Design
Even though more and more people are building energy-efficient homes, it doesn’t mean every architect knows how to design one. So when searching for someone to help you with the blueprints, be sure to ask if they have experience designing these types of homes.
Your architect should be able to prove that they have experience building eco-friendly homes. If not, it’s best to keep searching until you find someone who does.
Take Advantage of Landscaping
Depending on the number of trees on your property helps keep costs down during the summer. In addition, shading from trees can help reduce your home from absorbing the sun’s heat and keep temperatures within the house down by 6 degrees.
Deciduous trees such as oaks, maples, and beech are ideal for keeping the summer heat out and letting sunlight in during the winter. Yellow buckeye and London Plant trees are also ideal for providing shade during the summer.
However, you should keep in mind that the location you plant these trees does matter. You want to plant trees on your home’s east, south, and west areas for protection from extreme heat.
Planted on the east prevents the morning sun from coming, Trees on the south side prevent the mid-afternoon heat from entering your home, and Trees on the west block the afternoon sun heat. Planning like this will help reduce the cost of your heating bills during the summer months.
Put Thought Into Your Ventilation System
A well-thought-out ventilation system provides comfort to your home and makes it more eco-friendly. In addition, it allows you to prevent the overuse of electrical appliances for heating and cooling.
Also, your ventilation system helps filter out the containment air in your home. When it can filter out the contaminated air better, it also removes the house’s heat. So not only will you receive healthier air, but you’ll be able to keep your home cooler.
Have Energy-Efficient HAVC Systems
You can do everything within this article to make your home eco-friendly; however, if your HAVC system isn’t energy efficient, neither will your home be. Research shows that most homes use 48% of heating and cooling energy.
This means that HAVC systems are the main components of using the energy within the home. So it’s best to opt for energy-effect heating and cooling systems to keep costs down for your home.
Pay Attention to Your Smart Devices
Thanks to advanced technology, more and more devices are energy efficient. However, if you haven’t upgraded your devices in a while, you may want to do some time soon.
Start utilizing smart appliances, thermostats, AC controllers, and more to make your home more energy efficient. For example, AC controllers can reduce your bill by 25% due to regulating your air condition unit and your daily usage habits. Also, you can connect them with other appliances and smart devices to reap even more benefits.
Don’t Forget About Water Conservation
When building an energy-efficient home, most people only focus on decreasing heating and cooling costs. However, it’s also equally vital for you to keep your water usage down.
Some homeowners are building greywater systems to help with water usage. This system carries wastewater from washing dishes or taking baths to other areas of your home to be used again. It helps lower your water usage by 50% and lower your water bill.
Another way you can reduce your water usage is by upgrading your facets. Low-level faucets help owners use less water when running the kitchen sink or showering.
Use the Tips To Create an Energy-Efficient Home
Everyone wants to save money when becoming a homeowner, and the best way to do this is to ensure your home is energy efficient. So when designing your home, remember these tips to help reduce your carbon footprint and be more eco-friendly.
Photo by R ARCHITECTURE on Unsplash
