Trends in Energy Efficient Residential Buildings
Beginning in the 2000s, the core design principles of new residential buildings began to revolve around the concept of resource-efficiency. The goal was to provide sturdier and bigger residential buildings using the least amount of materials. In other words, new residences had more significant floor areas while being cost-efficient. However, this concept lacked the issues of energy-efficiency and eco-friendliness.
Homeowners started feeling the brunt of wasteful energy consumption in these larger structures due to rising utility costs. Property managers and owners had difficulty retaining their residents, and homeowners became motivated to reduce energy to save money. This prompted designers to come up with new trends addressing energy-efficient and eco-friendly residential buildings.
Solutions and Sustainable Alternative
The goal is to minimize energy consumption while maximizing the usage of energy-dependent amenities. These results can be achieved by improving the efficiency of amenities, optimizing the layout of the house to take advantage of free sunlight energy, and utilizing renewable energy to offset energy consumption.
Achieving such goals provide homeowners convenience for the least cost. Here are some modern solutions addressing modern housing problems:
Heat Water
A considerable portion of utility bills can be attributed to inefficient water heating. Most homeowners take hot water for granted, not knowing that they can save significant savings by merely improving specific mechanisms of their heaters.
The less hot water used, the less hot water needs to be produced. Homeowners can install water-saving fixtures (Showerheads & faucets). They can use appliances that use hot water sparingly. Although there are numerous methods and systems (i.e., solar) that heat water, the most efficient system for heating water is tankless water heaters.
Going Solar
Another angle to address the problem is going renewable. Renewable energy is becoming more popular by the day because it provides an alternative source of energy aside from grid-based electrical sources. Although there are other types of renewable energy out there, such as wind and water, solar renewables are well-designed and optimized for residential use.
Insulation
Insulation plays a vital role in achieving energy-efficient residential buildings. The concept revolves around having your HVAC system working at its optimum capacity. Uninsulated doors and windows can affect the amount of heat and cold that enters or leaks. Unregulated heat and cold loss will require the system to work harder and longer — more energy consumption resulting in inflated utility costs.
HVAC System
Having an energy-efficient HVAC system can help you save significant savings in the form of lower utility bills. Proper maintenance and choosing the right HVAC system based on your home design is key to achieving energy-efficient residential building.
Net-Zero Homes
The concept of a net-zero home is to produce as much renewable energy as they consume, achieving a zero energy requirement from electricity providers. The goal here is to combine energy-efficient appliances (i.e., microwave, refrigerators, stoves, washer, and dryer) and HVAC units with renewable solar technology to support home sustainability.
For information on building an energy-efficient home contact Grayson Homes at 919-578-6222.