Energy Conservation Code in House Design

Energy Conservation Code in House Design

Energy Conservation Code has a lot to do with your new house design.  Some people might not be aware that there even is such a thing as an energy conservation code.  There is.  Rand Soellner just attended an all-day seminar given by a DOE (U.S. Dept. of Energy) affiliated energy consultant (Chris Mathis of Mathis Consulting).

Many homeowners may know that having an energy efficient house can result in lower utility bills and that is a good thing.  When the people that own the houses understand that their monthly pocketbook is directly affected by their choices during the design and construction of their house, things can improve.

During the energy code all-day session, Rand Soellner noted that information was presented that illustrated that having more energy efficient houses can actually result in utility companies Not having to build new power plants.  And not just one.  Dozens.  Let’s say that again: if your new house and other new houses are more energy efficient, your more energy conservative choices can result in major electrical power generation companies Not having to construct new power plants.

Talk about lowering the carbon footprint on our planet!  By not building dozens of new power plants, all the polluting emissions from those power plants won’t need to be created.

And it all starts with you.  And your choices to spend s little more on higher quality features and components on your new house so that you will pay lower electrical bills for the rest of your life in that house.  You may think: “Oh, but I’m just one person, how can my new energy efficient house make that large of an impact.”  Well, that is sort of like voting in a democracy, isn’t it?  How can your one vote make a difference?  If hundreds of other people having their houses designed and built make good low-energy choices like you, perhaps that will set a good example for thousands, then millions of other people to do the same thing.

As soon as you move into your new house, you will begin to enjoy the benefits of a more energy efficient house, with your lower utility bills.  So there is an immediate economic benefit to you and incentive to do the right thing.  The side benefit for the planet is that you have helped major power companies avoid having to build another power plant and thereby reduced major pollution on our planet.

Another important topic during Rand Soellner’s attendance of the energy conservation code seminar was that a house may be here for about 100 years.  Let’s think about that for a while.  Whatever air leaks and inefficiencies built into your new house will be losing that energy for about 100 years.  That represents a tremendous amount of electrical energy that can be saved by doing several simple little things.

That’s right.  Energy conservation doesn’t have to be complicated.  Plug all the holes.  Weatherstrip doors and windows and panels that connected air-conditioned space to the exterior and un-air-conditioned spaces.  Use more insulation in your ceilings, which is the main source of heat gain and loss.  Use more insulation in walls.  Build thicker walls.  Use more energy efficient air-conditioning equipment.  Use medium quality double-pane windows available at most major home improvement retailers.  Seal cracks and crevices during construction.  Insulated ALL the walls and corners of the new house.

That’s most of it.  If you can have your architect include these minimal provisions into your design and then have your contractor actually comply with these simple instructions, you will have a house that out performs most of the houses in the world today.

To have your new house designed with these minimal and other provisions, you may wish to consider contacting Rand Soellner Architect: 1-828-269-9046 .

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