Building Energy Efficiency

Save Money By Building Energy Efficiency Into Your Home

Building energy efficiency into new domestic and industrial constructions has become a priority for the Federal Government, so much so that they have provided tax credits and incentives to anyone who can install the most energy efficient windows, roofing and appliances. If you are building from scratch, there is really no reason not to take advantage of these incentives, since you will automatically be building more value into the new property. With renovations of older buildings, it is not so clear cut, but there are still incentives to renovate efficiently.

There are now regulations enforcing energy efficient building practices, including a list of the materials that can be used in construction. As the majority of buildings themselves are built with materials which do provide a reasonable degree of insulation, the main problems occur in the areas which are not part of the brick or stone wall, namely the roof, the windows, and the entrances and exits. All of these areas are potential points of heat loss, the roof because heat rises and that is where the greatest loss can occur, and the windows and doors because the materials traditionally used for these have not been energy efficient.

The roof is the most important area to address when dealing with a building designed for energy efficiency, because heat rises and will always collect close to the roof area. In buildings with a high ceiling, you will need more heating to achieve the same effect, so high ceilings are to be avoided if possible. If you have a high ceiling, you can recycle hot air to the bottom using a tube with an electric fan at the top. The roofing material is critically important, especially with a new construction. An old roof really only needs be to replace if it is dreadfully inefficient, as interior insulation can bolster most existing roofing.

After the roofing, the most important key to building energy efficiency is to get the windows right. In a new construction, you will have no choice but to use the Low-E glass which will give you the best result. Whether it is worth having this fitted in an older home is debatable, and will depend on whether or not you could recoup your investment if you sold early. New energy efficient windows are a significant attraction to new buyers, but only if the property is in good overall condition, and is located in a good area.

Doors are a similar consideration to windows in that they need to keep heat in when they are closed and not being used. They do not, however, have to let in light and be transparent. From a security point of view, it is a mistake to have a large window in a door which can simply be broken to allow entry. It is also likely to reduce the insulation capacity of the door, so have one fitted which is as close to being solid as you can. The significant difference between doors and windows is that doors can be replaced easily and quickly, so this is definitely something that should be replaced.

Once the structure is built, you can continue building energy efficiency into the property by fitting an efficient boiler and making sure that your interior walls do not allow heat to escape into rooms which are scarcely being used. Modern boilers are capable of producing heat far more cheaply and efficiently than those of even the recent past, as the need for conservation of energy has become increasingly important. Technology is continuing to evolve, as manufacturers are dedicated to building energy efficiency.

Written by Diana Snow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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• Building Energy Efficiency
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• Residential Energy Efficiency
• Energy Efficient Light Bulbs
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• Energy Efficient Heaters
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• Tax Credits Energy Efficiency
• Industrial Energy Efficiency
• Energy Efficient Doors
• Energy Efficient Refrigerators



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