New homes are more energy efficient. True or false?
Anyone who has owned or rented an older house is well acquainted with the oddities of living in an older home. They can be exquisitely beautiful, even historic with excellent craftsmanship from times past. Old houses are very charming indeed, however, they require a tremendous amount of upkeep and repair. Even with updates, making an old house energy efficient is a tremendous undertaking and for the most part, you can reduce the amount of energy it takes to keep your old house running, but it will never be as efficient as a new home. There are many reasons for this, including the simple fact that building materials have changed dramatically over the years.
New Homes, New Techniques, New Materials
New homes are more energy efficient than older homes largely because they are designed and constructed with the very goal of energy efficiency at the forefront. For new homes energy efficiency is not an afterthought, it is built into every aspect of the home from start to finish. Energy-efficient new homes mean significantly less money out of your pocket for heating and cooling.
Regulations provided by local state and federal governments set standards for efficiency on new homes being built. Those regulations did not always exist and are fairly new considerations in homebuilding. Bulked up energy efficiency regulations help the individual homeowners and families living in them and at the same time they are working to eliminate some of the unnecessary and wasteful strain that housing innately carries off of the environment.
Coupled with stricter regulations is the increasing availability of more efficient building materials. The two factors are working in tandem to ensure that new homes are more energy efficient. Older houses were likely not designed by architects and builders who were highly skilled in designing floor plans and layouts that would serve to maximize efficiency. More information and technology are now available to architects and builders allowing them to make the most use of the natural resources available.
Designing homes that utilize southern exposure to its best potential is one way new homes are more energy efficient. Not only that, but the layout of the house is also very important. Spaces need to be designed for air to flow through to promote movement of warm or cool air depending on the season. Whether you are living in the South and will rely on air conditioning for a good portion of the year, or, you are living in a cold climate and heating is essential to get through the colder months, it is important that the layout of your house promotes airflow in an efficient way.
Older houses tend to have angles and barriers to flow that make it difficult to efficiently spread heat or air conditioning throughout the space. This of course causes us to use more energy to heat and cool our homes.
Save with Energy-Efficient Home Models
Energy-efficient model homes use less electricity, natural gas, and oil even when they are large and spacious. You may think that a large new home would not be more efficient to live in than a small older home, but it really is. The windows used in the construction of new homes are much more efficient than anything that has been used in the past. They are built to perform in any climate and do not allow drafts into your home. They seal tightly to make them highly efficient and they are also made to shade your home from the sun by allowing less light in.
Efficient homes are properly insulated which also serves to reduce energy usage with regard to heating and cooling year-round. Insulation on new homes is technologically superior to the materials used in old houses and is also safer to use.
Heaters, air conditioners, and windows in new construction homes are not the only advancements that reduce energy usage. Lighting is another major factor to consider. Lighting available today is much more efficient and electrical systems in new homes are far superior to their older counterparts. Updated items like state-of-the-art dishwashers also save homeowners money and reduce the consumption of natural resources. An energy-efficient dishwasher or washing machine can dramatically reduce the amount of water needed to complete the daily housework. New houses with new appliances are the most efficient by far.
The best model homes are particularly successful at eliminating costly and wasteful problems like drafts. The materials are manufactured in climate-controlled areas, whereas old houses are built out in the elements and building materials are subject to adverse weather and moisture throughout the building process. All of this has an impact on how the structure maintains its integrity and remains tight and draft-free.
Energy-efficient model homes are planned for maximum efficiency in any climate. They are constructed of new, quality materials that have been tested to perform efficiently and without flaw. These new homes are more energy efficient because that goal has been at the forefront, from the design to the acquisition of materials and all the way through to the assembly.
>> Considering buying one of Synergy Homes’ energy-efficient model homes? Schedule a walkthrough of your favorite model today.
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