As you consider new custom built homes for the sake of energy efficiency, it’s important to know what makes a new home more efficient compared to buying or remodeling an older home and what options are available for making an existing home meet newer standards in efficiency.
What Makes a New Home More Efficient?
Electricity and natural gas were at one point more affordable than they are today and it was also more affordable to build a home without much insulation. Windows used to be single-pane and have aluminum frames that conducted heat and cold into the house. Since utilities weren’t as expensive fifteen years ago, homebuyers didn’t insist on energy efficiency and building authorities didn’t require it.
Size of the home is also a large contributing factor in efficiency. The Energy Information Administration recently published a study showing that modern homes are 30% larger than those built before 2000, but they use just about 2% more energy. New homes typically tend to be larger than those built fifteen or more years ago. That means they will require more energy to heat, cool and light. The cost associated with high cost of utilities means new homebuyers have demanded energy-efficiency upgrades to new homes.
Whether you’re looking at options and designs for energy efficient custom built homes or planning to remodel your existing home, it’s important to consider investing in efficiency for long-term cost savings and sustainability of your home. Choosing options that ensure an efficient home will save energy and money, and you will be able to live more comfortably in a durable house because of it. The planning process is a good time to look into a renewable energy system that can provide electricity, water heating, or space heating and cooling.
If you’re planning to design and build a new home or remodel your current home for energy efficiency, and would like to learn more about how new-home construction is energy efficient and about the energy upgrades some of the best home builders in Oregon include in their custom-built houses, contact the builders at Halvorson-Mason and we will happily discuss energy efficiency with you.
