The energy efficient design is dependent upon the climate in your area. The two primary
elements of the design are passive solar heating and cooling and active solar heating.
Other important elements include proper insulation, air sealing, and ventilation
both within the home and the attic. A higher level of planning is combined along with
attention to detail during the construction process. The entire house is built as a system
for functioning according to the climate.

While electrical or mechanical devices are not used in passive solar heating, they are
an integral part of active solar heating. You need to know which the passive solar
heating elements are in this new type of home design. They include windows, floors, and
walls that distribute heat thoroughly during the winters and refrain heat from entering
enter during the summers. The design ensures that the solar energy is both collected and
stored inside.

On the other hand, active solar heating depends upon electrical and mechanical devices
for heating water and air. This type of energy efficient home design absorbs and collects
solar energy and transfers it for storage so that the energy can be distributed later.
These systems help you in saving money on your fuel bills during the winter and reduce
pollution compared to using natural gas or propane.

Another important element of an energy efficient home is the use of energy efficient
devices, including lighting. Once you are able to build an energy efficient home, you
are able to save on your utility bills, reduce the noise from the exterior, achieve
higher durability, and air quality. In addition, rodents and pests would be prevented from
entering your home, you would be able to reduce mold and dust, and create a safer
environment for your family.

When more and more people start embracing this new way of green living, there
will be dramatic reduction in pollution of the emission of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases. Even if not many homeowners or those seeking to build their new
home may be able to opt for these new energy efficient home designs, the future certainly
belongs to such green homes.

Here is a list of things that you can do in order to save valuable energy in your home. If
you take these measures properly, the savings would be dramatically display on your energy
bills.

Around 50% of your overall energy usage is for heating and cooling your home. You
can improve the related efficiency by moving the furniture away from the air registers
in order to allow the heated air to circulate freely. Before you leave for your work, make
sure that the thermostat is adjusted. Adjusting it for 7 to 10 degrees for 8 hours a day can
save you around 10% on your heating and cooling cost.

Keeping the furnace lubricated, clean and well maintained saves you lots of energy.
Always buy an Energy Star rated furnace and make sure that the filter is cleaned or
replaced every couple of months. If the filter is dirty it would blow the airflow and the
furnace would be running longer to heat the home.

Around 18% of the energy used in an average household is used for heating water
required for laundry, dishwashing and baths. A few energy saving measures in this
department can save you several hundred dollars annually. But how? Read on to find out.

Change the water heater thermostat setting from 140°F to something around 120°F and
you can be saving over $100 annually. Installing a low-flowing showerhead that releases
only 2.5 Gallons of water in a minute would reduce the amount of water to be heated.
The savings can bring your electric bill down by over $140 per year.

Around 85% of the energy required for washing your clothes is consumed in heating the
water. So, if you use cold water instead of heated water, you would be saving energy,
money, and helping the environment. It would be better to buy a front loading machine as
it would both save water and energy. It would consume around 50% lesser of energy and
40% lesser water.

Begin with your old windows that allow a lot of heat exchange. Replace them with
double-glazed, argon filled alternatives, which may cost you a few hundred dollars,
but can save lots of energy. On an average argon filled windows save around 2.5 Tons of
carbon dioxide in a year in homes that are gas heated. If you rely upon oil heating that
figure would go up to 3.9 Tons and if you use electric heating it would save around 10
Tons of the greenhouse gas.

If you live in a warmer area, paint your home with a light color and with a dark color if
you are living in a place that has longer winters. You can also plant lots of shade trees
that would help in reducing the usage of energy. On an average a tree absorbs around 25
lb of carbon dioxide annually.

Weatherizing your home is another cost effective way to save energy. Weather strip air
leaks around windows and doors. You can also caulk all the air inlets, and you can expect
to spend around $1 for caulking each window and $10 for weather stripping a door.
For an average home that takes these measures, they can remove as much as 1100 lbs of
carbon dioxide from their annual emission.

You can get help from your utility company, as they can perform an energy audit and
tell you the areas that are weakly insulated. Also ask them to evaluate the air conditioning
and the furnace. They may offer this service either for a very low charge or even for free.

Insulating the ceilings and walls can save you up to 20% or more on your heating bills.
The reduction in carbon dioxide emissions can be as high as 2,000 lbs in a year. In
colder areas, there is an option to super-insulate your home and this can reduce your
annual carbon dioxide emissions by at least 5 Tons.

If you can take some of these steps mentioned above, they can save you lots of money
in the long-term. And, your emission reductions can be reduced by several tons annually.
However, remember that if you make your energy savings at the time of some major
home improvement, it would give you better paybacks.

Considering these factors, some of the best green flooring options available to you are
wool carpets, linoleum flooring, cork flooring, bamboo flooring and recycled metal
tiles. Some prefer to have a carpeted floor. If that is the case with you, then
choose wool carpeting. In addition to being soft and comfy, wool is long-lasting and
also resistant to fire. It improves the energy efficiency of your home as it is capable of
absorbing and releasing humidity and moisture, helping to maintain moderation in the
interior temperature. The material is strongly resistant to stain, can be recycled, and
one of the best things is that it is a renewable resource.

Linoleum is another eco-friendly flooring option as it is made from renewable materials
such as linseed oil, wood flour, limestone, and pine rosins. Most often the backing is
made from either burlap or jute. The material is long-lasting, easy to clean, and you
have many color options to choose from.

There are numerous benefits of opting for cork flooring. Its cellular structure is unique
as it traps air and thus provides cushioning to the feet. In addition to giving you a
comfortable flooring option, cork also helps in reducing vibrations and noise.

Today, there are fewer green flooring options that match with bamboo flooring in terms
of popularity. Bamboo is a sustainable resource that grows in abundance. The rate at
which this plant grows is always higher than at the rate it can ever be utilized. Once
cured, bamboo is extremely strong and flexible. These features make it the ideal option
for areas that receive higher foot traffic. In addition, it is also a good choice for those who
have asthma and allergy problems.

Another green flooring option that is gradually picking up with homeowners is the
recycled metal tile. These tiles are recycled from scrap pieces of copper, brass or
aluminium. This flooring helps in keeping the scrap metal out of the land fill and also
conserves the declining supply of metals.

Begin with the windows and make sure that they are placed properly. When you have
sited your house properly, you don’t want to be negating it by positioning large-sized
windows where they shouldn’t be. The placement of the windows should be determined
on the basis of your geographical location. The window in your breakfast room should be
facing east. Place the windows facing south as the light is going to be direct and bright.

Even solar homes are oriented towards the south to get maximum amount of heat. An
ideal thing to be done is to position the south-faced windows below the roof overhangs so
as to block the strong summer sun and to allow the warmth received from the low winter
sun.

The next step to achieve an energy efficient new home is to air-seal the entire structure
appropriately. Prevention of unnecessary air infiltration is a crucial factor in any energy
efficient home. Get your builder to do this by caulking all the cracks and sealing all the
pipes that enter the building using spray foam insulation or hard-working housewrap
application.

The choice of the paint also has a major impact on your home’s energy
efficiency. You must use healthier paint, because traditional options have toxic
metals, solvents and volatile organic compounds. These components can raise air quality
issues that can lead to harmful effects on health, cause ozone pollution and smog. All
such hazardous components get released during painting, while it is drying and even
after it has dried out. Most of the larger paint makers have safer Zero-VOC paints
that can eliminate all these hazardous substances.

The flooring is also an important part of the energy efficiency deal. If you have hardwood
flooring in your mind, then bamboo is your best option. Bamboo is environment-friendly
because it has higher yield and a faster rate of replenishing itself. While hardwoods can
take 50 to 100 years to mature, bamboo matures within 4 to 6 years. Also take care that the
bamboo floor options are free from formaldehyde based glues. The amount of things you
have to do to ensure an energy efficient home wouldn’t end with these points. But,
they would still cover a major part of it.

Electric-induction cook tops would heat your food by the transfer of electromagnetic
energy to the pan. This would require only 50% of the energy that would be consumed
by the traditional models. You must buy an Energy Star rated oven, and try to use it more
often as it can save you around 80% energy.

Do you know that your refrigerator is the second largest energy eater in your home
followed by the cooling and heating systems? If you are considering replacement of your
old model, make sure that you get an Energy Star rated model. You could purchase
a new refrigerator that could save you between 10% and 50% energy compared to your previous
model. However, make sure that the size of the new fridge shouldn’t be larger than what
you actual require.

Get a dishwasher for your kitchen. The new models can save lots of water for each load
as compared to hand-washing. They are fitted with sensor technology that fixes the
amount of water according to what you are cleaning. You can find some good models in
the market that exceed Energy Star standard by over 36%.

Once you have decided which new energy-consuming components will be suitable in your kitchen, your
next focus should be on the cabinets, the floors and the countertop. You might ponder,
how are they going to help you make your kitchen green. Find it out how.

When it comes to cabinets, search for units that are free from formaldehyde and made
using solid wood that has been harvested sensibly from managed forests. The finish
shouldn’t be toxic. The best options you have in your hand are low-VOC and water-
based finishes. And, when it comes to flooring, choose products that are environmental-
friendly and also long-lasting. A good choice lies in the traditional linoleum made using
all-natural stuff. Or, you can also install wooden flooring that is certified by some green
authority.

You must install counters that are simple to clean, hard-wearing and also green. One of
the green choices is a counter made from concrete and 100% recycled glass with different
color options. You also have some options in recycled hemp or paper countertops. If
you consider the ideas given above, you would realize the degree by which your
kitchens can become green.

Begin by installing a programmable thermostat in your home. Most homeowners find it
difficult to remember that they must turn down the air conditioner or the heat when they
are leaving or going to bed. However, if you have a programmable thermostat you can
pre-fix the temperature of a particular time of the day. So, there is going to be a fixed
temperature of the time when you leave, when you reach home back from office, when
you up and go to bed. This means there is going to be no wastage of energy when you are
not home or don’t need it.

But how to install such a thermostat; the task is simple and would consume just 10
minutes out of your busy schedule. The steps are usually the same even though the
instructions can vary from one model to another.

The next thing to save energy is to install a low-flow showerhead. A typical shower head
would use around 3 gallons of water in a minute. But a low-flow alternative would use
around 1 gallon in the same time. If you think that this would compensate on the water
pressure, then you need to know that the showerhead that usually wastes the most amount
of water offers the smallest amount of pressure.

Even if you think that CFLs are not as bright as incandescent bulbs, switching to
CFLs is going to help you take a long stride towards a green home. People also argue
why they should switch to CFLs when they cost more. However, the facts are against
their misconceptions. First, CFLs are brighter. Second, they last much longer than
incandescent bulbs. This means that when you buy a cheap bulb, you are wasting much
more money over the entire life of the power-thirsty bulb that doesn’t have the energy
efficiency of CFLs.

So, you need to understand that if you are ready to spend a few dollars more in the
beginning and get a CFL you would be saving more than 70% of extra energy rather
than spending a small amount in the beginning and getting an incandescent bulb. If that
doesn’t make sense to you and you still want to go with the cheaper bulb, then you are
going in the wrong direction.

Wherever possible, you should be using recycled materials in making your home. You
can use polymer and rubber roofing to emulate slate so as to minimize weight as well as
maintenance. The countertop, backsplash, shower surrounds, floor and walls can be made
with materials containing a fraction of recycled glass and concrete. And, when it comes to
carpets, try and use something that contains 100% recycled material.

When choosing the lumber, stay away from something that was made from an
endangered hardwood. Search for materials that come from managed forests that are
certified, made from reclaimed wood or recycled. You can also consider formaldehyde-
free composites like MDF for cabinets and doors.

There are many building materials that have natural substitutes. Replace fiberglass
with cellulose insulation that is made from plant fiber. For certain drywall applications, use
Homasote, which is made from recycled newspaper. In place of vinyl, you can install
linoleum on the kitchen floor. Linoleum consists of eco-friendly linseed oil, wood flour
and pine rosins on jute support. For your other rooms, you can install wooden floors or
even carpets made from sisal or wool.

Next green tip is to use insulated panels for floors, walls or roofs. Panels consist of a firm
foam core within oriented strand board (OSB) on both sides. OSB is made from wood
stands coming from trees that grow fast, wax and some binder to create mats. The mats
get layered for maximum strength and then they are heat-pressed. Compared to other
constructions, even builders suggest using panels for saving time and effort.

When you use GreenGuard certified materials for the interior, you would be helping to
prevent any environmental activated allergies or illnesses. Building materials are tested
by the Greenguard Environmental Institute quarterly for air-quality to ensure there is no
emission of fumes or trapping of air to create mold.

Try to completely avoid volatile organic compounds or VOCs that cause air pollution.
This can include formaldehyde and certain toxic solvents. You can find certain fiberglass
insulation that is free form VOC. In addition, there are other healthy insulation options
such as recycled cotton batts that contain cloth trimmings and foam made from soy as an
ingredient. If you can ensure that you include most of these materials, you can create a
green and healthy environment in your home for yourself and your loved ones.

Please fill in your average monthly electricity bill, and then select the project you have in mind to see how much your home can save!

Energy Calcuator Savings Disclaimer:

Savings are calculated based on average homeowner savings percentage per product. This calculator is by no means a complete representation of the exact amount a homeowner can expect to save. Actual savings may vary due to household factors beyond the capabilities of these calculations. For a thorough energy analysis of your home and to learn more about what projects you can benefit from, please contact us.

By exchanging these builder grade windows, and installing windows that were made to withstand the elements and keep your energy in, you can reduce your energy costs by up to 33%! Now, don’t just go out to the first replacement window company you find. There is a lot of aspects of these companies before making a decision. If you’re nearby our offices in Texas, then you know that there are a ton of San Antonio windows companies in town looking to take your money, and most of them will deliver quality service. But be weary of those companies that make false claims about the quality of their windows.

The number one thing you can do (and if you’re here, you’re already doing it) is keep researching. Continue learning about energy efficient windows and the differences between the higher energy rated ones, and the low. Learn about the type of glass that is used, if it is dual or single pane, and whether there is a gas fill between the glass or not that keeps its energy efficiency over the years. Seals and weather strippings also play a major role in the amount of air that enters between your home’s windows.

When you are prepared to obtain a couple estimates on replacing your windows, ask for references. You want a contractor that has done quality work before, not someone who says they have learned from watching other installers in the past. Quality contractors can make your window project a stress reliever rather than a stress gainer. Remember to give the expert window contractors at Green Home Improvements a call when thinking about replacing your windows and receiving quotes.