21st Century Energy Considerations for New Homes                  BACK


New housing is booming in this area.  The tragedy is that almost all
of the new homebuyers (and the future owners of their homes) will
unnecessarily be paying dearly in electricity costs. We all know that
the price of electricity is likely to rise dramatically, and a home
built today will be drawing from the electric grid for perhaps a
hundred years. These new homeowners are also unnecessarily causing the
emission of greenhouse gases which cause global warming.

New homes have incredible potential to drastically cut energy costs by
smart design. But unfortunately, people are still in the habit of
century old design for energy needs. This is the beginning of a new
millennium!  Electricity consumption is a major item in every
homeowner’s budget. If people adopt simple modern energy efficiency
methods, they can drastically cut their energy costs. Intelligently
designed energy efficient homes need not cost more than those with
outmoded design, and still look the way we like.  Simple considerations
such as placement of windows to catch the winter sun, and eaves that
shade the hot summer sun can make all the difference in heating and
cooling costs.  Using heat-absorbing material on an interior wall to
store the sun’s heat and gradually release it over night makes heating
costs even lower. Geothermal heat pumps have been a cost efficient,
common option for years.  (These take advantage of the steady mild
underground temperature to assist in a home’s heating or cooling.)
Solar hot water, also saves the homeowner a lot of money in the long
run, and is also a very reliable well-developed technology.  (The
federal government is offering a 30% rebate on solar hot water
systems.)  These are just some of the energy saving considerations for
new buildings. It is mostly just old habits and lack of knowledge that
keep us from these newer technologies.

If you are planning a new home, business, government, or any other
type of building, please consult with an energy efficiency expert, or
an architect or builder that is informed in energy efficient design. 
If you were unsure where to find this expertise, the Bluegrass Energy
and Green Living Directory would be a start.  Another alternative for
new homebuyers is to find a forward thinking development that is
encouraging energy efficient design and green building practices. You
can check out this type of development plan in this area. (Contact me
for more information.) Ecologically planned developments are likely to
become more and more popular with time. Not only do residents save on
their utility bills, they generally have many acres of common green
space and a friendly neighborhood.

One additional benefit for energy efficient homeowners is knowing that
they are doing something tangible to help the next generation. By
decreasing their use of electricity from coal-fired power plants, they
are decreasing their emission of greenhouse gases, helping to do their
part in combating global warming.