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In today's economy and with global warming, consumers want to do whatever they can to save energy. The process can be as extensive or as minimalistic as the designer wants to undertake.
First and foremost is designing for the location in which you're building. For example, if building in Hawaii, there's no need to worry much about insulation, but can use a home design with lots of windows (or sliding doors) which open to allow maximum air flow to virtually eliminate the need for expensive air conditioning. On the other hand, if you're building in Alaska, you probably would want to build a home with fewer windows and with most of them facing the west or south to maximize the sun exposure; and use a design that can utilize lower ceilings and higher r-value insulation to help with heating costs.
There are also features that can built into a home, either during construction or added to an existing home, that can literally save the consumer thousands. One such item is the solar panel. This feature, when installed correctly, will save energy from the sun and store it in collective cells, and turn that energy into electricity when needed. Electric companies across the country are even 'buying' the unused energy from the consumer for use in the public utilities. With this design growing at about 30 percent annually, the consumer can not only save energy, but also has the possibility of actually making money to reinvest in other energy saving features;
One such feature is low-e glass. Since most homes loose 25 percent of their heat through the homes windows, this can be a worthy investment. Low-e glass works by 'bouncing' the heat caused by the summer sun's heating objects outside, and as they cool, they give off (or emit) an energy that the reflective surface of the glass puts back outside, all the while allowing the light to enter the home. During the winter months, it works by 'bouncing' the heat that radiates from you furniture, and other objects inside the home, back into the homes atmosphere, thereby saving on heating (and cooling) costs.
Another feature that can be included in the design is low-flow plumbing. These fixtures, including low flow toilets, and low flow faucets and showerheads, cost about the same as traditional plumbing, and can be installed in the same way as traditional fixtures, so they are easy to include in the homes design. According to one source, just by installing a low flow faucet, homeowners can expect to save approximately 40 percent yearly for a family of four.
By paying attention to what features are designed into a home, energy saved can mean thousands to the consumer.



Jason Grace
on behalf of the
BascoTec Internet Limited
Technologie Park 13
33100 Paderborn
Germany

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