5 Affordable Ways To Design An Energy-Efficient Home

You might not realize it, but there are some affordable ways to design an energy-efficient home. From buying LED Light Bulbs to installing smart switches, your home can be designed to save energy and money. 

Listed below are 8 affordable ways to design an energy-efficient home. Read on to discover more. But before you start, let’s take a look at what makes an energy-efficient home.

What Are Energy-Efficient Homes?

In general, energy-efficient homes use less energy than their conventional counterparts. However, they maintain the same levels of aesthetic appeal, convenience, and protection. 

One of the easiest ways to make your home more energy-efficient is to replace traditional light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Also, look for sustainable building materials when building your home. 

You’ll find that energy-efficient homes tend to be less expensive than conventional houses. You’ll save money on electricity bills and a higher percentage of your home’s energy use will go toward the construction costs.

If you’re building a new home, you might be wondering whether or not to go for an Energy Star or LEED-certified home. Although energy-efficient homes can be slightly more expensive to build, they can save you a lot of money on your utility bills in the long run. Plus, they can sell for higher prices than standard homes. 

A well-built energy-efficient home will typically sell faster and bring in up to 10 lac more in value than a conventional home.

Benefits of an Energy-Efficient Home

 

Among other benefits of energy-efficient homes, they save homeowners money on energy bills.

They are a plus to resale value because of their green features. In fact, economists from the University of California, Berkeley studied energy-efficient homes and found that they sold for an average premium of nine percent. 

Energy-efficient homes are not only cheaper to run, but they also protect the environment. For this reason, they are considered to be more desirable by potential buyers.

In addition to saving money on energy, you will also benefit from improved indoor air quality. This is because these homes are built with tighter seals than traditional houses. This means that allergens, moisture, and dust cannot get inside. This is great news for people with allergies. Furthermore, moisture-blocking capabilities prevent harmful mold from growing in the home. Those who purchase an energy-efficient home will find that they can live in comfort without worrying about their health costs.

Another benefit of energy-efficient homes is lower utility bills. The average homeowner will save at least 20% on their utility bills. Moreover, an energy-efficient home is more comfortable to live in, and the utility bills will also be lower. In addition to saving on energy bills, energy-efficient homes will also increase the value of your home. These homes have many advantages, but you should be wary of any future costs. 

Ways to Make Your Home Energy Efficient

1. Invest in LED Light Bulbs

If you are looking for ways to make your home more energy-efficient, consider investing in LED light bulbs. These bulbs use ninety percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and can save you up to eighty dollars over their lifetime. In addition, they’re very durable and are perfect for any condition. When you buy LED bulbs, you can be sure that they’ll last for many years.

Before buying new bulbs for your home, be sure to understand how LED bulbs work. LEDs produce a wide range of colors. You can choose the warmest color, which resembles the yellow glow of an incandescent bulb. 

Alternatively, you can opt for the coolest color, which resembles a slightly blue light. The bulbs’ Kelvin values are measured on a scale. 

Bulbs between 2,700 and 3,000 Kelvin are considered warm. For cool lighting, you can go for a light bulb with a higher Kelvin number, but they aren’t suitable for fully enclosed fixtures.

Another thing to keep in mind when choosing a light bulb is the color rendering index. While incandescents are popular, they tend to be low in energy efficiency. Generally speaking, one incandescent bulb uses as much power as five or six LEDs of the same brightness. 

Luckily, LEDs are compatible with smart home systems that automatically optimize electricity usage. Smart homes can also automate climate control and even shut off appliances when nobody is home.

2. Install Glass in the Interior where Possible

Interior glass and windows are the most important part of an energy-efficient home. They provide a lot of light and air, but they also affect the amount of heat that escapes from your house. You can have the best insulation in the world, but if you don’t install glass in the interior where possible, it’s going to make little difference.

But as we’ve seen, you need to balance aesthetic appeal with energy efficiency. For example, placing a large pane of glass at the front of your home will allow plenty of light into your living room — and it will also allow cold air to enter during winter.

The solution is to use low-emissivity glass or triple-glazed windows in all exterior openings. This material allows more light through than ordinary glass but reflects more heat back into your home.

While you’re at it, make sure that all doors and windows open easily and seal tightly when they’re closed. If they don’t close properly, then you’ll be paying for wasted energy every month!

3. Use low-flow shower faucets

One easy way to save money and water is to install low-flow shower faucets. These fixtures save water by using half the amount of water of standard shower faucets. This means a thousand-gallon savings every year! And because less water is wasted, the water heater doesn’t have to run as frequently. The reduced use of water will also help extend the life of your water heater.

While you may be tempted to install the first shower head you see, a low-flow shower head can save you money and water. 

Standard shower heads are 5.5 gallons per minute. The new low-flow shower head only uses two gallons per minute. These heads offer energy savings without compromising water flow. If you’re unable to install a low-flow shower head, you can still save money and water by choosing a standard shower faucet.

4. Install a rainwater harvesting system

Adding a rainwater harvesting system to your home is a great way to design an energy-efficient home and save money at the same time. 

Many newly built homes incorporate this feature to cut down on water use, and you can also retrofit an existing system if you wish. Though installing a rainwater harvesting system is more expensive than installing a traditional water collection system, the benefits far outweigh the costs, and the added value may make your property more attractive to potential buyers.

The first component of a rainwater harvesting system is the roof. A plumbing engineer does not typically design the roof, but he may consult one. The roof serves as the defining element of the system, and some designs even reject the first flush of rainwater, which typically contains the most debris. 

Overflow from the system filters any floating contaminants that get through the pipes, so the energy savings will be even greater.

In addition to conserving water, rainwater harvesting systems also help utilities reduce their peak demands during peak summer months. 

5. Utilize energy-efficient appliances

It’s easy to reduce your energy use by replacing appliances that aren’t energy-efficient with energy-efficient ones. You can also go green by choosing appliances that produce less carbon dioxide, which is one of the leading causes of climate change. This will reduce your carbon footprint, and you’ll also save Mother Earth for future generations. Moreover, these appliances can save you money, too.

If you’re planning a new home, you’ll also want to pay attention to the seal around the building and the insulation. New homes designed to be energy-efficient require more insulation than the building codes. 

Appliances can also be a major contributor to high energy bills.

Water Conservation Tips for Your Home

Water is an essential part of life. As a homeowner, it’s important to make sure you’re doing your part to save water. Not only will this help you create a more sustainable home, but it will also help you save money on your monthly utility bills!

Here are some simple ways you can conserve water in your home:

1. Fix leaks Right Away

Leaks are one of the biggest culprits of water waste in homes. Toilets account for 30 percent of the water used in a home, so if there’s a leaky toilet, you could be losing a lot of water without even realizing it. Simply replace worn-out parts like flappers, fill valves, and flush valves to prevent further leaks.

2. Close the Tap 

Don’t let the faucet run when you brush your teeth or shave. This can waste gallons of water! Instead, just fill the sink with a couple of inches of water for rinsing and brushing.

3. Clean up Efficiently

Use a dishwasher instead of hand-washing dishes to save hundreds of gallons of water per year. When you wash dishes by hand, fill one side of the sink with water and use that to clean your dishes rather than running the faucet.

Conclusion

The takeaway lesson here is to acknowledge the importance of energy-efficient homes amid the rising costs of energy. In addition, energy-producing resources are getting scarce so more houses should be built on energy efficiency principles. 

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