The US Department of Energy has a national scoring system that reflects how energy efficient a home is. Every home is scored on the basis of how efficient the home’s design is, as well as other factors like hot water systems and heating and cooling systems.
National Energy Efficiency Scoring System
http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/home-energy-score
Increasing the energy efficiency of your home can help you to cut down on energy costs and live in an environmentally responsible way. This task is easiest for those looking to build a new home keeping efficiency in mind, but old homes can also be renovated to meet the guidelines that the Department of Energy provides.
Here is a look at the basics of improving the energy efficiency of your existing home and starting from scratch when building a new home.
Whole House Systems Approach
It is important to address a home’s sustainability and efficient use of energy from a comprehensive, whole-house perspective when designing a new home or carrying out extensive remodeling on the existing building.
The long-term benefits of such an approach are significant. A sustainable and eco-friendly home is going to be more durable and comfortable, as well as less expensive to run and maintain. A higher home energy score also significantly increases the resale value of homes by anywhere between 6 to 12 percent on average.
1. Consider Passive Design For New Homes
When building a new home, consider investing in passive design solutions. Passive design has seven core components that make the best use of spatial zoning, orientation, insulation, ventilation, thermal mass, glazing and shading to maximize resources like sunlight and enhance passive cooling and heating. Passive design will help to reduce the need for active heating and cooling solutions, thereby lowering energy costs in the long run.
2. Assessment Of Your Existing Home Energy Uses
If you are working on your current house, the first thing to do is to carry out a comprehensive assessment or energy audit of its existing energy uses. The Department of Energy has a few tools and guidelines to help you with the assessment. The Building Performance Institute (bpi.org) recommended by the department also performs professional auditing if you require it.
3. Assess Appliances and Electronics
Advances in technology over the past few years has led to the innovation of a number of energy saving appliances and electronics that have changed the way we use energy at home. Manufacturers today are making additional efforts in creating new and more efficient appliances that consume less energy and lower utility bills. The EPA along with the US Department of Energy has come up with an Energy Star program that helps consumer lower their electricity costs with Energy Star equipment.
Assess the existing electronics and appliances that you use for their energy ratings. If they are outdated, consider replacing them with more efficient units. The first thing to do in this regard is to estimate how much your appliances cost to run. You can use the formulas given here to do this.
Other things to consider that can help to lower your energy costs include choosing the right power strip that prevent energy wastage when appliances are not in use.
4. Checking Air-Sealing and Insulation
Proper insulation and air-sealing can reduce the load on your heating and cooling systems significantly. Reflective insulation systems and radiant barriers employed by common efficient insulating materials help to reduce the resistance to flow of heat in all seasons.
In other words, good insulation on internal and external walls, windows and doors can help to keep the home warm in winter and cool in summer without overloading your HVAC systems and causing heat loss. You can calculate how much insulation you need for your climate with this calculator or consult a local contractor.
5. Look Into Day lighting and Lighting
Your dependence on artificial lighting can be mitigated by making the most of sunlight. New homes can be designed to locate living areas in the north side of the home, which will allow in plenty of daylight even in winter.
Using appropriate skylights and windows can maximize the use of sunlight. Homeowners should take into consideration the fact that south facing windows with shading can let in little sunlight in summer but provide plenty of winter sunlight; east and west facing windows allow in natural light in the morning and evening but also let in too much heat in the summer along with creating glare; north facing windows let in even natural light in all seasons, with little glare and little heat gain in summers.
6. Assess Space Heating and Cooling
Checking the Energy Star ratings of your space heaters and coolers is the first step for existing homeowners to find out if their space heating is efficient. The Energy Department provides resources to help homeowners with the assessment.
For new homes, energy solutions like geothermal ground-source and air-source systems can be great cost-saving and sustainable alternatives to fuel-guzzling systems.
7. Consider Water Heating
Monthly energy bills for water heating can be significantly reduced with some simple DIY strategies as well as more extensive technology changes. Simply insulating hot water pipes and lowering the temperatures at which water is heated can go a long way in lowering water heating costs.
Solar water heating technologies are also great alternatives that use renewable sunlight to meet your hot water requirements. The initial cost of setting up a solar hot water system can go into a few thousands of dollars but homeowners can recoup the cost within two to three years.
The Energy Department offers additional tips and resources to help you cut costs further when it comes to heating water.
8. Check the Efficiency of Doors, Windows and Skylights
Installing energy efficient windows and natural window treatments with shading, in addition to living walls, weather-stripped exterior doors, well-placed energy efficient skylights, storm windows if you are on a budget, and the right frame choice and glazing materials can make a big difference to how efficient your home is in the long run.
Take the help of a local contractor to help you assess the efficiency of your doors, windows and skylights as well as seek advice for replacements.
By taking advantage of the best energy saving appliances, heating and cooling systems, passive design, energy efficient landscaping, and renewable technologies you can make your home ultra efficient, less expensive to run, more durable and higher valued when it comes time to sell.