Energy Efficient

With homes accounting for roughly 31% of the electricity consumed, it is clear that building a home has a significant role to play in helping our society address energy-related concerns now and into the coming decades.

Energy efficiency also makes good sense for homeowners-an energy efficient house saves money by reducing utility bills year after year and provides other valuable benefits. Better insulation and sealing any air gaps, for example, will reduce heating and cooling costs and reduce uncomfortable drafts; double-pane / Low-E windows will make a quieter home and help in reducing energy costs. You can improve the quality and increase the effective R-value of your home's exterior “envelope” using advanced framing techniques like building with Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF's). ICF's are gaining market share in the building market because they're quick to assemble and provide excellent energy performance.

Some other energy efficient options you can choose are:

• Passive solar heating, overhangs on south facing windows, deciduous trees on west and south elevations
• Low-E / double-pane windows
• Compact fluorescent lighting and LED lights use a fraction of regular incandescent bulbs
• Low energy-using major appliances like Energy Star appliances that are certified to meet strict guidelines about how much
  electricity they require to operate
• High-efficiency furnace or zoned radiant heat
• A tankless or on-demand water heater
• Whole-house fan and solar attic fan
• Solar water heating, solar panels and wind turbines

With energy prices rising and non-renewable fuels being depleted, an energy-efficient home is a valuable asset that will be appreciated
for years to come.