Why own an energy efficient home rather than a non-efficient home?
Houses built with energy efficiency in mind provide many important benefits to homeowners, especially in Delta Junction, Alaska, where it can get -40 below zero on cold winter days.
But beyond the buzzwords, how exactly is an energy 5 star + efficient home better than a “regular” home?
While choosing an energy efficient home requires an investment, it offers benefits far beyond reducing your environmental footprint.
Energy efficient features can reduce your cost of living, create a healthy and safe environment for your family, and improve your overall quality of life.
If you’re considering buying a new home, but you’re not sure whether the extra cost for energy efficiency is worth it, this is the article for you. Keep reading to find out why an energy efficient home is more than worth the upfront investment.
1. Reduced Heat Loss
One of the greatest benefits of an energy efficient house is its ability to trap in heat. If you live in a cold climate, staying warm during the freezing winter months is likely a top priority for you.
When building an energy efficient home, construction professionals add layers of insulation to keep frigid air outside and to keep you warm and cozy inside. They also add solid doors and windows with gap-free seals, so the cold can’t leak in.
A well insulated, gap-free structure allows you to use less energy overall.
When you turn on your heating system, the warm air inside your home stays where it belongs without escaping, allowing you to use less electricity.
Energy efficient homes experience significantly less heat loss in comparison to older houses that don’t include such features.
2. Lower Fuel Bills
An energy efficient home saves you money on your utility bills! In fact, a typical household saves an average of 25% on their utility costs from energy efficient measures. Imagine what that extra savings could do for you and your family over time.
In addition to proper insulation and quality seals, energy efficient homes also usually include high-quality triple pane windows.
These windows have three layers of glass separated by two spacers.
The spacers contain a gas that helps to significantly increase energy efficiency. This means your heating and cooling systems don’t have to use up as much energy to warm or cool your home, translating into big savings on your utility bills.
3. Better for Your Health and Safety
At a minimum, your home should keep you safe and healthy.
Unfortunately, many older homes are not equipped to ward off common hazards. Thankfully, energy efficient homes are built to safeguard your health and wellbeing.
New energy efficient houses are built in ways that reduce common health hazards like mold and mildew, whereas older homes built without energy efficiency measures can allow these hazards to flourish.
Excellent ventilation reduces excess humidity inside your house, creating less opportunities for mold to build up.
The National Safe and Healthy Housing Coalition claims that energy efficient structures promote better respiratory health. They are also less prone to other safety hazards such as electrical fires, gas leaks, and floods.
4. More Comfortable During Cold Winter Weather
Temperature and humidity are two of the most important factors when it comes to keeping you comfortable inside your home. Energy efficient houses allow for great control over both of these factors.
Newer energy efficient homes are often equipped with technology that gives you precise control in managing your indoor environment.
This may include HVAC systems, smart lighting systems, and smart power outlets. All of these systems work together to increase the energy efficiency of your home while making it more comfortable.
For example, sophisticated HVAC systems in modern homes can be customized to keep the rooms in your house at specified temperatures during different times of the day.
This means you can align your thermostat to your schedule, saving you energy when you’re away from home and ensuring you’re completely comfortable while you’re there.
Additionally, energy efficient triple pane windows improve noise reduction, eliminating loud sounds from heavy traffic, airplanes, and construction equipment. You’ll be able to enjoy the peace and quiet of your home without interruption.
5. Less Risk of Pests
If you’re a homeowner, you know dealing with pests can be an extremely unpleasant and expensive experience. Older homes may lack adequate sealing or might have leaky HVAC ducts that allow pests like termites, ants, and small rodents to enter.
When building an energy efficient home, construction professionals are careful to seal off all potential entry points to bugs and other pesky critters. This reduces the likelihood of run-ins with unwelcome visitors!
When you have a house that is less vulnerable to pests, you can rest easy knowing your home is safe from being overrun by creepy crawlers. As an added financial bonus, you won’t have to shell out tons of money on pest control costs.
6. Better Resale Value
If you’re planning on selling your home sometime in the future, it’s worthwhile to know that energy efficient homes are likely to sell faster and at higher prices. They include features that many modern homebuyers are looking for, increasing your future resale value.
Energy efficient homes are move-in ready; buyers will most likely not have to make adjustments or renovations.
This is a big draw for couples or families who don’t have a ton of time or extra money to spend getting their new house up to snuff. And, for the modern cost-conscious or environmentally concerned buyer, you’ll have an automatic leg up traditional, non-efficient homes.
Even though older homes can be retrofitted to improve their energy efficiency, many buyers will be attracted to the fact that your original home was built to be energy efficient originally.
7. Lower Cost of Home Insurance
Most people are unaware that having an energy efficient home can save you money on your home insurance.
Insurance rates are usually determined by factors such as the size of your property, its proximity to bodies of water, and any security systems you have in place. But many insurance providers also offer discounts to homeowners who have energy efficient homes and appliances.
When you’re shopping for home insurance, be sure to mention the energy efficiency of your home before asking for a quote. You may be surprised by how much it could save you!
8. Great Return on Investment
New homes built for efficiency (or old homes that are re-insulated or have new windows and doors) do tend to cost more than older, less efficient homes that haven’t been updated.
While building an energy efficient home comes with some additional costs upfront, they are more than worth the expense. The tradeoff for this short-term investment is almost always long-term savings.
When you factor in the money you’ll likely save from reduced utility bills, unnecessary pest control costs, insurance, and potential mortgage bill reductions, the financial benefit is clear. Many people end up saving more than they invested in the extra cost of an energy efficient home.
So, aside from all of the personal benefits an energy efficient home provides, like staying toasty warm during harsh winters, having granular control over your environment, and gaining an improved quality of life, it will also pay you back monetarily.
9. Less Environmental Impact
Many people consider their cars as having the greatest impact on the environment, but what about your home? The energy you use in your home can have a big impact on the environment and even your direct community.
Energy efficient homes use fewer resources like electricity and water compared to homes that are not energy efficient.
This has a direct impact on reducing greenhouse gases from power plants, the use of fossil fuels, and the demand on water supply. When you reduce your consumption of these resources, your home helps the environment and lessens air pollution in your community.
When building a new home, your choices have the power to reduce your overall ecological footprint and to contribute to a cleaner environment.
10. Increased Confidence
Finally, the high quality of an energy efficient home means long-term reliability and comfort for you and your family. That’s something you can’t put a price on.
When you opt for an energy efficient home, you don’t have to worry about many of the concerns that commonly plague homeowners. You’ll have a reliable, safe, and cost-effective space.
The high quality of your house will mean you won’t have to invest in many future renovations or upgrades.
Energy efficiency gives you so much more than an environmentally friendly home – it gives you complete peace of mind knowing you live in a structure that saves you money, keeps you safe and comfortable, and sets you up for a secure future.
Are you looking to make your existing home more energy efficient, or thinking about building a new home? We offer home construction services in Delta Junction, AK. Get in touch for a free estimate!