Green EnergyEnergy that fits in with the ecosystem

What are some real, effective, and reasonably priced energy saving systems for a new construction house?

Building a new house in a year or so. I would like to make it as green as possible, but it has to look like a conventional house (no massive solar panels or windmills) and I won’t spend a fortune on fringe technology that has no real-world returns. What’s the best bang for the buck? Geo thermal HVAC? On demand hot water heaters? LED lighting? Any other ideas that are reasonably priced, and produce a real energy savings? (pay for themselves in five years or so…)

Ever been in a basement that’s not heated in the winter time? It’s cool, but not unbearable. How about a basement that’s not air conditioned in the summer? It’s generally not as hot as the rest of the house.

I’m not saying build your house underground. That doesn’t meet your standards. The concept of having a 2 story home with a basement comes to mind though. The way it would work is your first floor would be 1/2 underground 1/2 above. The basement of course would be under it, and the second level would be above the first of course. It would be preferred that a home like this be built on a hill, and the second floor would make it not look weird.

In the US, most homes are built using 2X4 wall beams. It would cost some extra coin, but switching that up to 2X6 wall beams would give room for more insulation. More insulation will increase the efficiency dramatically. A minor problem arises in purchasing doors for the home. This problem isn’t a problem though because the door openings can be reduced to 2X4, or your contractor will probably know where to get doors that fit. Windows are designed different from doors so this wont be a problem for them. This also allows for larger ductwork through the walls. This will reduce the load on your central heating/cooling system’s blower saving some coin. Use of 2X6 framing also opens a new avenue for adding custom features like in-wall shelving.

It’s fairly common to see a room with a switch by the door controlling an outlet for a lamp to be plugged into. Having switches like this installed all over your house to cut off power to things like TVs when no-one is in the room would save some nice coin. You will need outlets that are not switch controlled too for things like clocks, and cable boxes/satellite receivers that have interactive services like TV Guide and battery chargers. That’s your chance to learn from my mistake. I converted my home so that all the outlets ran on switches, and purchased battery powered clocks. I had to undo some of it so my cable box would work right.

Often less is more, and more is less. I purchased an air conditioner rated for the size of room I have, and it didn’t cut it. It never was cool in the room, and my power bill went up by $100 a month. I decided to upgrade it, and bought one 3 times the size for $200 more. This reduced my electric bill by $50 a month from what the first cost me. In 4 months it paid for itself.

Installing multiple lighting systems in each room can save you big money if used right. It can also be more comfortable to the eyes. A low power lighting system for regular use, and a task lighting system for when you need the extra light. I use just a 10 watt bulb in my hallway for normal everyday traffic. I can see well enough to get through it. When I need to vacuum the hallway though I turn on a 100 watt bulb, and can see it very well. This system is also very good to have in the bathroom because when someone is making use of the toilet, they don’t tend to need extra light. When they are using the mirror though they want a lot more light. It applies very well in the kitchen too. Under cabinet lights can give the task based lighting needed to cook, and over-head lighting will allow a person to pass through the kitchen without stubbing their toe on a cabinet, or stepping on that fork someone dropped.

A switch at every door! Some rooms have multiple doors, and often is the case that someone will walk into the room on one side, and turn the light on, then as they walk out on the other side there is no switch so the light gets left on. It doesn’t cost much to install a multiple switch situation.

Having all the plumbing in a home in one central area can be a big savings also. Not so much in energy as in water which also costs money. In some homes, you turn on the water in the bathroom or kitchen, and have to wait for hot water to come out. The closer everything is together the shorter the wait, and the less water wasted.

Having a closed in porch can save you big too. In the winter when it’s windy, you will open the porch door, and enter, and while you take the step across the porch to the front door of your house the porch door will close behind you blocking the wind as you enter your home.

Whether or not to install a geothermal HVAC system in your home will depend on what it costs in your area to install. It may not be a viable option. LED Lighting can be an option, but I suggest you try it in your current home before investing in a whole house system. You may or may not like it, or may only want it in certain rooms/situations. On demand hot water systems are efficient for 2-3 people living in a home. If you have more, then the system will use more power heating the water than the older system using a tank. This is because it takes a lot of power to heat water right now. The older system instead uses less power to heat it over a period of time.

Appliance placement can save you money too. Most washers and dryers are set up side by side. Well most people wash their clothes in cold water, and the dryer uses heat to dry the clothes. Washers and dryers are not insulated. Separating them will keep the cold water from sucking the heat out of the dryer, so the dryer wont have to work as hard. A simple insulated wall between the 2 the height of the washer and dryer can make a huge difference. Insulating the walls around your hot water heater can make a difference when you are using the air conditioning. Everything in this paragraph is not common even in new homes.

When choosing your appliances remember less is more once again. Less features like digital controls means less power used. That microwave with the digital clock sitting in your kitchen, well it uses power 24/7 whether you are using it or not. The time with a timer that you turn the knob to use doesn’t. When it’s off, it is off. Gas cook stoves that use electronic ignition instead of a pilot lighting system don’t sit there generating heat when your air conditioning is on, and using gas. Refrigerators with through the door ice and water avoid constantly opening the freezer to get ice out. If someone in your home bakes a lot, then an in-wall double oven system will probably make them happier, and since they can use both at once, the heat from 1 will make the other more efficient. They will also spend less time using 2 at once rather than using 1 longer. This will help cut down on cooling bills in the summer.

Insulating all the pipes in your home can help too.

Residential Water Fuel Cell Energy System (2 of 2)

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