Looking to buy or rent a home/building can be an exciting time, but with global warming and the rise in resource prices, there are some changes you can make to your home or business to make it more energy efficient.
Developers have created a guide that can help you use methods that can assist in saving energy and pay less for the amount of energy that you are consuming.
Designing an energy efficient home can help cut on expenses and you can visit Utility Bidder for resources on how to incorporate these guidelines.
Developer’s Guide to an Energy Efficient Property
Before making any changes to your house, you can first run an energy audit to check how much energy is being used within the home. The energy audit will also help determine which parts of the consumption can be cut or usage minimised.
To redo your property to incorporate energy saving tools, you need to include all areas of the property as well as external factors.
The areas within the property includes:
Space heating and cooling
To control the heating and cooling of your property, you can install smart thermostats to be in control of the heating and cooling of the property and to be able to make the adjustments yourself when you want to either add on hot or cold air flowing throughout the property.
Using materials that reflect the sun’s ray is also known as a cool roof, these used with insulation of a high R-value helps keep buildings cool and heat out.
Windows, doors and skylight
Using energy-efficient windows can help save energy instead of wasting it. These energy efficient windows are paned with multi sheets of glass.
To make space for natural lighting, you can install a skylight which will let in natural light and minimise the need for artificial lighting on sunny days. It will also let in the moonlight on nights when the moon is bright.
Water heating
Using tankless water heaters are more energy efficient, these heaters only heat the water when you need it so it doesn’t store water and reheat it constantly while no-one is using it.
Insulation and air sealing
The property should have proper insulation around all areas where the air flows in to prevent any loss of air through windows, doors and other ventilation spaces.
Lighting and daylighting
Properties should have LED bulbs instead of incandescent or fluorescent bulbs installed. Solar panels can also assist in saving electricity usage for lighting and heating purposes.
Appliances and electronics
Appliances and electronics should be certified and have a high star rating with Energy Star so that they are labelled energy efficient.
The external factors for an energy efficient home depends on where the property is located and the local climate in the area.
Here are Ways You Can Find An Energy Efficient Property
If you are looking to purchase an energy-efficient property but don’t know how to find one, here are some tips that you can use.
- Eco-home friendly search sites
Use search sites that list eco-friendly properties. There are some specific sites that are aimed at energy efficient homes only while some mainstream websites do include energy efficient homes as part of their listings.
- Apply for an energy efficient mortgage
This works for both an energy efficient home and for one that is standard. You can finance the money for the energy efficient changes you would like to make to a standard property from the mortgage.
- Use an agent that specializes in energy efficient
Getting help from an energy efficient agent will help to understand exactly what you are looking for and to ensure that you are purchasing the correct property that you desire.
The agent can ensure that the property meets all the energy efficient features and has all its certifications before you decide to purchase.
- Use energy-efficiency as part of your searches
When looking for properties to buy, make sure that you use the correct terminology to find the type of property you want.
Properties will list their certifications and the upgrades they have done in their listings as part of the reason for the price being higher than your standard property prices.
Conclusion
Having an energy-efficient property can save you money and is also helping curb global warming and reducing carbon footprints by reducing the amount of greenhouse emissions being released.
Using the above as a guide can assist in finding an energy efficient home/property and save you the trouble of having to make upgrades and changes.
You can also use the above tips to make your own property more energy-efficient. f