5 Ways to Make Your Custom Home More Energy Efficient
Custom home energy efficiency is a big concern for most clients to ensure future home comfort, as well as easing environmental effects on the world around us. As innovative custom home builders, we can use a variety of strategies and products to keep your home both efficient and comfortable over the long term.
These are our top tips for custom home energy efficiency:
- Start with energy-efficient home design from an experienced builder. Of course, building energy efficiency right into your home from the beginning is ideal. That’s what we do at Miller’s Residential Creations. We combine modern, energy-efficient construction, including proper insulation throughout your home, energy-sparing appliances, thoughtful lighting design, and more for an energy-saving new home.
- Seal and insulate the home’s outer envelope. This keeps heated or cooled, conditioned air inside your home and helps ensure your ongoing home comfort once you begin living in your new home. We build your home to exacting specifications to limit air leakage and thermal transfer into and out of the house. We help you choose the right energy-efficient, insulated windows that conform to your energy goals, such as double or triple-pane windows with low-E coatings and more. We are familiar with all the latest best practices for energy-efficient construction and materials to make sure you receive the best.
- Choose an energy-efficient HVAC system, water heating solution, and lighting. We could install a central, forced-air system designed and rated for high energy efficiency. As another option, we could install a mini-split, air-source heat pump, which operates without ducts. (Duct systems in any home can leak over time, leading to energy waste.) We recommend LED lightbulbs for your home, which don’t give off heat and are long-lasting. Tankless water heating is more energy-efficient than older-style storage tank water heating and can be powered by solar electricity, but there are trade-offs. For instance, homes typically need several tankess water heaters to supply their entire home.
- Use a whole-home ventilation system. With a tight home envelope, your home also needs an energy-efficient supply of clean, fresh air. We can install an energy recovery ventilation system (ERV) in your new home. The ERV will expel stale indoor air while recovering its heat into the home (in winter) with the fresh air and/or easing the load on your AC in summer. An air cleaner can be installed with your heating and cooling system to keep indoor air healthy.
- Select energy-efficient home appliances. We can install a variety of energy-saving appliances throughout the home, including refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, and more. Energy-efficient products carry the Energy Star label, the seal of approval from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). Energy Star products meet or exceed government efficiency standards, however some save more energy than others. Higher levels of energy efficiency typically mean higher initial appliance cost–but then you save energy and enjoy low utility bills for years to come.
Ready to Get Started on Your New Energy Efficient Custom Home?
At Miller’s Residential Creations, your home comfort and complete satisfaction are our top priorities. We realize that environmental concerns are important for you and that’s why we’re dedicated to creating the most energy-efficient custom homes in WV.
Contact us today to learn more and plan for your energy-efficient custom home.
Brian Miller is the owner of Miller's Residential Creations, a custom home builder and remodeling company servicing Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan Counties of West Virginia since 2004.
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