Energy-efficient Homes: 8 Essential Features

A house is more than just a structure with flooring, four walls and a roof. It’s a collection of complex machines, appliances and systems – all of which require energy to operate. As technology advances and consumers become more conscious of the need to cut energy use – both to reduce bills and to protect the environment – homeowners have more ability to reduce their reliance on grid-supplied energy than ever before.

Let’s review some elements that are creating more energy-efficient homes.

What Is Considered An Energy-efficient Home?

An energy-efficient home is one that provides all the comfort and utility that homeowners desire while consuming the least amount of energy.

A modern American home consumes energy chiefly in the following applications:

• Heating and cooling: For most U.S. homes, furnaces and air conditioning units are powered by either electricity or natural gas supplied by a local utility company.
• Hot water: A hot water heater provides instant heated water for the shower, faucet, dishwasher and washing machine. This system is powered by electricity or natural gas, in most instances.
• Appliances: All appliances are not created equally. Different brands and models of refrigerators will consume electricity more or less efficiently; the same applies to other everyday appliances, such as dishwashers, washer and dryers, cooktops and ovens and even smaller appliances, such as microwave ovens, toasters and coffee makers.
• Lighting: The kinds of lightbulbs and light sources in a house affect energy use, as do certain “smart” monitors that control when and how lights are used.
• Complex systems: Just as each appliance differs on how efficiently it uses electricity, the home’s entire electrical service can vary in efficiency. Similarly, the house’s furnace, air conditioning unit and ductwork system can also vary significantly in how efficiently it warms and cools the house.

How To Build An Energy-efficient Home

The good news for homeowners is that there’s never been a better time to cut energy use than now. All current and future homeowners – whether seeking to reduce home energy use on their existing house or maximize energy savings on a new build – can start by thoroughly assessing their current and future energy needs.

Next, to ensure the efficient operation of the home’s heating and cooling, hot water service, lighting, appliances and complex systems, consider one or more of the following upgrades.

1. Install Solar Panels

When discussing energy-efficiency, much is made of “renewable energy.” This is the use of natural forces, such as the sun’s energy, wind or moving water, to generate electricity without burning fossil fuels. Solar panels gather energy from the sun’s rays and transform it into useful electricity to power some or all of a home’s appliances, lighting and even heat and air conditioning.

Home solar systems are expensive to have installed. In fact, many homeowners take out a solar loan to finance the installation. However, the savings on electricity over time can eventually pay for the whole system.

2. Use Tankless Water Heaters

Unlike a traditional water heater, which must keep an entire tank of water heated at all times (usually 40 – 50 gallons in most homes), a tankless water heater instantly heats water as it comes from the main water source. Powered by either natural gas or electricity, this device heats water as it passes through a coil of pipes. It uses energy only when hot water is needed, and is therefore more efficient, reducing utility bills.

Tankless water heaters can be three to four times more expensive than full tank heaters, but they take up far less space and last about twice as long.

3. Purchase Energy Star-certified Appliances

Home appliances, lighting, hot water heaters, furnaces and air conditioning units can earn Energy Star certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These products work as well as noncertified products but use significantly less energy to function, saving money and reducing power plant emissions.

As demand for Energy Star appliances has grown over the last decade, many appliances carry the certification. As a result, these energy-saving appliances are priced about the same as those without Energy Star status.

4. Install LED Lighting

LED light bulbs are 75% more efficient than conventional incandescent bulbs. These lights can also be programmed to turn on and off at specific times or even simply dim or turn off when no motion is detected for a certain stretch of time.

Although LED lights are more expensive than incandescent lightbulbs, they become less expensive in the long run because they last up to 25 times longer, according to the Department of Energy.

5. Use Spray Foam Insulation

Installing good quality insulation in floors, walls, ceilings and attics can increase a house’s heating and cooling efficiency, making it more eco-friendly and less expensive to operate. Insulation blocks the transfer of heat, keeping it in during winter and out in summer.

When building a new home, it’s advisable to use spray foam insulation as opposed to traditional rolled fiberglass insulation. Because it more efficiently fills small cracks or gaps in construction, spray foam is much more efficient at preventing heat loss in winter or heat penetration in warm months, saving up to 50% on power bills.

For older homes, it can be costly to open up interior walls to apply spray foam insulation, but it is something to consider during major renovations. Spray foam can also be applied in attic spaces relatively easily.

6. Purchase Smart Home Devices

Smart technology devices can help limit energy use in a house by adjusting automatically to times when energy is or isn’t needed. A smart thermostat, for example, can warm up the house automatically during peak activity or cool it down during sleep time or when no one is home. Lights can also be programmed to turn on and off at certain times or even dim or turn off when no motion is detected for a certain period of time.

7. Conserve Water

Energy savings is usually the first thought when considering resource efficiency in the home, but water is also a vital and often expensive utility. Particularly in parts of the country where availability of fresh, clean water is limited, several inexpensive water-saving devices exist.

Water-saving showerheads and faucet aerators alone can cut down hot water usage by 50%. Other products that can reduce water usage for little cost include a shower timer, toilet tank bag and rainfall shutoff that interrupts the home irrigation schedule when there’s already been plenty of rainfall.

8. Update The Landscaping

Many homes are surrounded by a lush green lawn. Beautiful, yes, and fun for kids to play on, but also very thirsty. Millions of gallons of water each year go into watering these spaces. Worse, tons and tons of chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used to keep weeds down. Home irrigation for lawns compounds the overuse of resources because it operates on electricity.

Natural and sustainable landscaping replaces lawns with native plants that thrive on the amount of rain that normally falls locally. Shade trees help keep a house cooler in summer, but they must be properly pruned to maintain a healthy canopy.

For extra watering, a rain barrel can capture dozens of gallons of water that normally run off a roof, from even a short rain shower. A rain barrel fitted with a soaker hose will automatically redistribute that water throughout the garden.

Are Energy-efficient Homes Worth It?

While an energy-efficient home might cost more than a regular home, homeowners will pay less over time for their appliances and home systems. Energy-conscious homeowners also end up seeing significant reductions in their electric, natural gas and water bills. Because modern home buyers tend to be both financially literate and eco-conscious, energy-efficient homes will also maintain a healthy resale value.

The Bottom Line: Energy-efficient Homes Could Save You Money Over Time

As energy costs continue to rise while energy-efficient solutions become more effective, it makes sense now more than ever for homeowners to boost home energy efficiency.

Whether it’s replacing old appliances with Energy Star-rated units, updating lights with LED bulbs, installing energy-efficient windows or even investing in a solar panel system, all of these solutions will eventually pay for themselves and reap energy savings for years to come.

While Rocket Mortgage^Ⓡ does not currently offer energy-efficient mortgages, if you are interested in alternative types of loans, start your mortgage application online today.