Energy efficient homes are becoming more and more popular in the United States. There are many different reasons you may want to build an energy efficient home, but saving money on your utility bills is probably one of the most important. The following blog post will provide some tips for building a highly energy efficient home that will save you thousands of dollars over time.

Building An Energy Efficient Home

Building an energy efficient home is a long-term investment, but the costs will pay off over time. There are definitely some things that you can do to increase the energy efficiency in your home. Follow these tips to build an energy efficient home.

  1. Shop around for the right builder. Choose one with experience building energy efficient homes.
  2. Choose energy efficient appliances and home electronics
  3. Consider a tankless water heater
  4. Some roofs help more than others
  5. Make heating and cooling a priority
  6. Spurge on good windows
  7. Over Insulate!
  8. Solar is a must

Home Energy Efficiency Statistics

Consider these home energy efficiency statistics from the US Department of Energy as you build your new custom home:

  • The average U.S. household used about 77 million British thermal units (Btu) in 2015, or nearly 50% more energy than the average car in a year. Homes built since 2000 consumed the same amount of energy as one built in the 1960s, while being on average 27% larger.
  • Of the energy used in U.S. homes in 2015, 55% of it was used for heating and cooling. Water heating, appliances, electronics, and lighting accounted for the remaining 45% of total consumption.
  • In 2012, the average U.S. household spent $1,945 on heating, cooling, appliances, electronics, and lighting.
  • Approximately 72% of U.S. households reported an average age for home heating systems of 5 years or more in 2015. About 29% of households report home heating equipment older than 15 years.
  • Of the 102.8 million households that have cooling equipment, 76.1 million have central A/C, and 33.7 million of those units are at least 10 years old.
  • Increasing a home’s insulation and reducing air leaks is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce energy waste. Proper insulation and air sealing techniques can typically achieve whole-house energy savings of 10-20% over pre-upgrade energy usage. In older homes and homes with little or no insulation, savings may be much higher.
  • An estimated 10-25% of an average household heating and cooling bill escapes through leaks associated with windows. By installing exterior or interior storm windows with weatherstripping, homeowners can reduce heat lost through the windows by 25-50%.

Energy Efficient Home Designs

There are energy efficient home designs that help to save energy. Things like building up rather than out, or the use of solar or natural light as a means of gently heating your home. Check with your builder to understand more energy efficient home designs.

Energy Efficient Home Credit

The residential energy tax credits are now available until December 31, 2023. Renewable energy tax credits for fuel cells, small wind turbines, and geothermal heat pumps have undergone a step reduction in credit value, similar to those for solar photovoltaic systems. Biomass stoves were included in tax credits for residential renewable energy technologies beginning in 

In addition, ENERGY STAR certified appliances and qualified products are independently tested to save energy, save money, and protect the environment - and are available in more than 75 product categories.

Conclusion

Building an energy efficient home takes a little capital outlay and planning, but can be well worth it in the long run. Building an energy efficient home can save you thousands of dollars over the life of your home, not to mention make you feel good about being a good steward of the environment.

Contact Bianchi-Tillett Developers today to get a free assessment and recommendations on how to make your building plans energy efficient.


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