With the increase in average number of devices an individual uses with each passing year, having custom-built homes which saves energy goes beyond reducing the utility bill. It might as well be your quota in saving the environment.
As the major feature of an energy-efficient home is reduction and conservation of energy use while maintaining all the comforts you would expect from a home, you should consider certain factors during the planning and building stages for the goal to be met.
- Your location
This is perhaps the most important step in planning your energy efficient home. While planning for your home, you need to choose a location wherein you get the least amount of heat during the summer and the most amount of heat during the winters.
Getting the most out of the sunlight in this way enables you to save energy on heating during the winters and cooling in the summers. You can achieve this by the landscaping of your house, the directions, locations and insulation of your windows and most importantly by optimizing the location of a building.
- Your ventilation system
Having a good ventilation system in your home not only prevents overuse of electrical appliances which amps up energy consumption. It is also essential for comfort and well-being.
You should design your home’s ventilation to efficiently move air and moisture out of the house, this can be achieved simply by mechanical fans. Windows are the primary and most basic ventilation systems. You can get the best out of your windows by using a window that offers maximum insulation as well as choosing the correct window-to-floor ratio.
- Your HVAC system
With heating and cooling responsible for more than 40% of the total home energy consumption, designing an efficient system by making little changes such as using a heat pump instead of a furnace and smart devices helps in reducing energy consumption.
- Energy saving devices
These are smart devices that help you save energy consumption by using the minimum amount of energy possible. Another benefit of these devices is regulation of energy consumption based on your needs.
An example is a smart bulb that reduces the brightness of light it emits when there is natural lightning available. Examples of such devices are smart thermostats, smart bulbs, smart blinds, smart AC controllers and lots more.
- Solar energy
You should consider going solar if you live in an area with lots of sunlight. The reduction in utility bills can be quite significant as solar energy upon conversion to electrical energy can be used to do anything and everything, ranging from heating water to powering any other home appliance.
- Choice of roofing material
Although this might be a slightly steeper expense initially, choosing suitable roofing materials that deflect sunlight and absorb less heat is sure to save you energy consumption. It achieves this by ensuring that your home is at a constant temperature all year round making you have lesser need for air conditioning.
Energy efficient homes are not only friendly to the environment, they are cost-effective, healthy and comfortable and frankly should be what we all aspire to live in. You can also check with Uhomes living to get your desired custom home design.