The cost of energy seems to be ever on the rise, and that’s pushing many in the market for a home to find energy efficient home solutions that will be less expensive to maintain in the years to come. When it comes to energy efficient home plans Florida has great options. These designs naturally conserve and reduce the overall energy use for homeowners. Not quite sure how that works? Take a look at a few ways homes like these help homeowners reduce their footprints and save money.
They Have a Different Size and Shape
In terms of the design of energy efficient home plans Florida homes are designed to maximize energy from the ground up. Larger homes tend to need more raw materials from the outset, but energy efficient designs are built with fewer materials in mind. More than that, though, they feature a reduced surface area to help eliminate the heat transfer and drafts that often happen with traditional homes that have unnecessary extra space. It goes much further than size, though. Energy efficient floorplans mean a different shape as well. Open floor plans and rooms that feature high ceilings may be beautiful, but they’re hard to heat and cool. These kinds of homes, though, create tighter spaces that help the heating and cooling systems better maintain temperature.
The Thermal Envelope Has Been Carefully Created
Energy efficient homes are well insulated. In Florida, cooling a home takes quite a bit of the overall energy consumption of a home, and energy efficient homes work to keep a home cooler thanks to a tighter thermal envelope. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of a thermal envelope, it’s a fairly simple one. This is literally the structure that separates a house from the outside world, and in an energy efficient home, the home is airtight thanks to better insulation, ventilation, and moisture control. The insulation stops the movement of the cool air inside your home to the outside. That helps to ensure your cooling system doesn’t have to work harder than it should. Better ventilation helps a home avoid heat buildup. Advanced moisture control techniques ensure the thick, wet Florida air can’t get inside your home to damage it.
The Roof Works A Bit Differently
Energy efficient homes also have cool roofs. This type of roof works to reflect, instead of absorb, the sunlight that hits the house all day. That helps to reduce the amount of heat the roof retains from the sun which, in turn, maintains the home’s temperature and can even affect the air temperature outside your home!
Even The Windows Are Well-Placed
Every fixture in an energy efficient home works to reduce energy consumption, including the windows. Many homeowners today are looking for lots of natural light, but it’s important to understand that windows facing the wrong way may add heat to a home. Those rooms that have north and east-facing windows don’t tend to get much natural light, but they stay very cool, so they’re ideal for infrequently used spaces or those that generate their own heat like the kitchen. Rooms that have south and west-facing windows get lots of natural sunlight, but that comes with added heat, so while you might save electricity on lighting, you may use extra electricity on keeping the room cool. Energy efficient homes take this difference into account, giving you both cooler temperatures in the right spaces and the natural light you crave.
Coming In? You Might Notice a Difference In the Doors
Another way energy efficient homes tend to save money for homeowners is that they utilize insulated doors. One of the biggest problems for many homeowners is that the entry points to their homes tend to leak energy. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that nearly 30% of energy in some cases is lost through these points. Energy efficient homes, though, use doors that are carefully insulated to help save homeowners money.
Hot Showers Work Differently Here
Hot water heaters account for quite a bit of energy consumption for homeowners, but energy efficient homes work to ensure that’s not a problem. While traditional water heaters fill a large tank of water, then heat it, it’s not a very efficient system. Tankless water heaters are a far more efficient choice. They only heat the water on an as-needed basis, which is a great way to save a bit of extra cash.
Can You See Clearly? You Can With This Lighting
Homes that work to conserve energy are also lit differently than traditional homes. Estimates suggest nearly 5% of energy consumption in a home comes from lighting, but energy efficient homes make use of LED bulbs and fixtures to help reduce overall energy consumption. Often they incorporate things like dimmers and timers, too, to help impact the overall energy use in a home.
The Appliances are Super Stars
Energy efficient homes use Energy Star rated appliances. Energy Star was created by the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy to help homeowners identify appliances that have been carefully created to save the energy within the home, and have a smaller ecological footprint. Often they can help consumers save money as well. Estimates suggest that using an appliance with an Energy Star rating means saving up to 50% of the energy required over traditional models.
They’re As Friendly Outside as They Are Inside
You may not be aware of this, but your landscaping can actually affect your energy use within the home. Landscaping requires fresh water, and often that means continually using essential water needed for other tasks in your home on your lawn or garden. Energy efficient homes, though, prize native plants to help reduce overall water requirements. More than that, though, the landscape itself can actually conserve energy inside the home, too, as thanks to rows of trees and hedges, the home can get some protection from the sun and the wind, helping to better maintain the overall internal temperature of the home.
These Homes Are Just Smarter!
Often energy efficient homes integrate smart tech. Smart tech can automate everything inside a home, including the energy costs within the home. Energy efficient homes typically integrate smart thermostats to adjust the home’s temperature according to your needs, and you have the ability to adjust from the convenience of your phone. You can even use smart lighting within these homes to help better automate the energy usage within your homes.
Interested in an energy efficient home? Contact us today to get a closer look at our models. We offer a variety of energy efficient home plans Florida homebuyers can count on!
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