The Design of Energy Efficiency

Making your home green has a lot of advantages to it including lower costs and a lot of rebates that come from those who install energy efficient upgrades in their homes.  With the rise in demand for energy efficient products, it’s now easier than ever to find a myriad of different appliances and furnishings that correspond with just about anything a family could want from a home.  At one point there was very little to be offered in way of energy efficiency but that’s not the case anymore.  Families no longer have to sacrifice style in order to achieve energy efficiency.

What to know about REPs (Retail Electric Providers) is that they will often offer rebates and discounts for families looking to upgrade their homes to something more energy efficient.  The other thing that families should realize is that it doesn’t matter what they buy as long as it meets the minimum requirements to be eligible for the program.  This means that it’s entirely possible for a home to maintain its interior design and décor while being easier on the electric bill every month.

One of the most popular energy efficient upgrades these days is the installation of certain blinds that are designed to keep energy costs down by being more efficient at blocking the sunlight and in some cases, also keeping out the cold or the heat from the outdoors.  Many times these require installation in order to really work (in comparison to regular blinds that hang from the curtain rod), but with so many on the market now, there are quite a few style options to choose from.

Honeycomb is the most popular type of treatment available and they’re available in a few different styles and a large range of colors, making it impossible for families not to find a set that goes with their interior décor.

It’s possible these days to order custom made windows for pretty much any house on the market and still have them be energy efficient.  Families don’t have to settle for the same square shapes or thick panes of glass that were once the standard for those looking to cut down on energy.  Whether you’re looking for Casement windows for an old Tudor house or trying outfit your colonial home in West Virginia, the chances are that someone can customize a set of energy efficient windows for you.

The most popular windows today look gorgeous, but have the added benefit of having a particular type of gas trapped between two panes of sturdy glass, which helps keep the outside air from seeping in.  If your current windows have sentimental value, you can also have those coated in a product that allows sunlight in, but keeps harmful UV rays out.

Of course, one of the best possible ways to maintain energy efficiency is to keep the house’s design fairly compact in nature.  In California, many new homeowners aren’t buying anything (energy efficient or otherwise) that’s more than three thousand square feet because it’s too much to work with.  More space in the house leads to extra heating and cooling costs not to mention more appliances and light bulbs that need routinely replaced.

Luckily, houses can be designed with very open interiors, which make them feel much larger than they actually are so families can have the aura of living in an open space while seeing the energy costs of something much more manageable.

Image:  English: New energy efficient homes in Northampton (Photo credit: Wikipedia)