Home Alternative Green Energy

When designing your home a critical component is energy efficiency which will help you with saving power and lowering your bills. Incorporating some simple design principles will guarantee that you will be saving power without sacrificing comfort. An extra boon is that the property will also be easier to maintain.

Saving Power and Positioning

The position of the building on the lot can have a serious impact on its energy efficiency because it will allow you to take advantage of the cleanest, free energy available, the sun. Thus, the ideal property would have the main living areas facing northwards to take advantage of the sun in winter.

Large windows facing north will make for a warmer house in winter and they can easily be covered with dark shades in summer to keep the property cool. Thus, you will be saving power by cutting down on the use of your heating and cooling units.

Likewise, the length of your roof's overhang is important. You want it to reach out far enough to block as much of the sun as possible during summer, when it sits higher in the sky. Yet, it shouldn't reach out so far that it blocks the sun's rays during winter, when the sun is much lower.

Saving Power with Insulation

Insulating your walls, ceilings and even flowers can make your home up 10 degrees cooler in summer and 5 degrees warmer in winter. Even though some insulation is mandatory by law, the more insulation you have the more energy efficient your home will be. For example, a house with no insulation will lose around 40% of its heat through the ceiling and around 35% through walls and floors.

Saving Power with the Sun

If you want your home to be as energy efficient as possible, then consider solar panels as an alternative from of electricity and heating. Not only is saving power easy with solar panels but it is also a cost efficient system to install due to the rebates available from the government. For example, any household installing a solar hot water system will be able to claim a $1,000 rebate, while a $600 rebate is available for those installing heat pump hot water systems.

Saving Power: Draught Proofing

Draughts lead to a loss of heat of up to 25% during winter and while you need good ventilation in summer to keep the house cool, the latter needs to be controlled. Reducing draughts is inexpensive and is another excellent way for saving power and lowering your bills.

When building a new home, make sure to avoid as many gaps as possible between wall materials – a good solution is to use loose insulation as this is poured into the walls and will fill up any spaces. Likewise, doors and windows should fit well into their frames.

There are many other design features you can implement to help with saving power, from proper landscaping to adequate window shading and much more.