What Is so Special about Today’s Green Homes?

01.11.2009 | Author: Jerry Dyess | Posted in Business

Today’s “green” homes are even more efficient than those made just a few years ago. Today’s green homes have many different innovations incorporated into them so that they’re even more efficient and better at saving energy. These EnergyStar homes are becoming increasingly common in every area of the country.

For an EnergyStar home to be qualified as such, it has to be at least 15% more energy efficient than a home built before 2004, and it also has to include energy saving features such that it’s 20 to 30% more efficient than a standard residence.

Starting with new construction, green homes of today incorporate many energy saving ideas. For example, when it comes to insulation in between walls, instead of using the old traditional fiberglass insulation, this has been replaced by recycled cellulose insulation. This insulation material provides much better insulation and fills up spaces in the walls and in the attic much better than fiberglass. There are a couple of different ways it can be installed, either in dry form, or by turning it into a semi liquid that can be sprayed in between walls. Cellulose provides a much better thermal protection layer than standard methods.

Power sources, too, can be changeable with a green home. You don’t just have to be connected to a power grid, but can incorporate renewable power sources including wind, solar, and geothermal energy, depending on where you live. If necessary, you can also combine different types of power sources (such as solar and wind) so that your power source is more reliable. You can put this type of “alternative energy source” supply in an existing home as well as in new construction. Getting your power from these types of alternative energy sources can give you many advantages, such as not having utility bills he is high (or not having utility bills at all), and not having to depend on the power grid for your power, such that you will be immune to brown or black outs, as those using conventional power sources might.

Besides these alternative power sources, you also can incorporate high-efficiency appliances that are currently on the market and are comparable in cost to other appliances that are not “high-efficiency.” Some of these options include efficient heating and cooling systems, stoves, clothes watchers, dishwashers, and heating and cooling systems, as well as such energy saving devices as tankless water heaters. You also don’t have to limit yourself to certain power sources. If you’re still connected to the grid, for example, you can use natural gas or propane as a more efficient energy source that other traditional “grid” resources.

Insulating factors matter, too, and windows are no exception. Double paned, high-efficiency windows can do a number of things to help with energy savings. Some are constructed with inert gases between the panes so that harmful UV rays are kept out, even as they keep heat or cool from escaping from within the house. If you choose not to replace your windows, you can still save energy, such as applying films to the windowpanes to seal them up and protect against UV rays, less expensively.

There are lots of new techniques available that can make your home more efficient even if you don’t have an “EnergyStar” residence, but when it comes to new home construction, you may be asking, “How much more does it cost to construct a ‘green’ home?” The answer to that is that these types of homes are up to 17% more expensive to build initially, but energy savings will recoup that extra cost over time.

Find out more about EnergyStar homes and appliances by doing some research on the Internet. Many of the materials such as the tankless water heaters or cellulose insulation, as well as others, can be bought at your local home improvement store, so that you don’t have to pay for shipping. You can also go to many websites that provide “do-it-yourself” information on installing these items, as well as plans and kits for renewable energy source materials, too.

About the author: Jerry Dyess has been in the Texas Electricity business for the past 7 years. He has published many articles on Texas Electric rates.

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