5.089

With home energy bills soaring, energy efficiency is increasingly important to homeowners. There are many simple upgrades that can help, but some buildings are designed to be efficient from the start. Green architecture today is a rapidly expanding field that is producing innovative solutions to current energy problems.

Planning Green

Among the most important factors in a home’s energy consumption are its orientation and shape, the main consideration being the structure’s exposure to sunlight. In general, houses with their long axis oriented east to west are preferred, as this limits the amount of heating from direct sunlight and thus the total energy needed to keep spaces cool. During the cooler months, this orientation has the benefit of a wide south-facing area (or north-facing in the Southern Hemisphere) which collects sunlight to warm the house.
Depending on the exact location, homes can be designed to work with the topography of the lot, using the ground as insulation and maximizing the useable sunlight that reaches outdoor living spaces. Proximity to trees and other structures is also taken into account when planning a new building, as these factors affect the amount of energy reaching the building.

A Pocket Full of Sunshine

According to the Arizona Solar Center, every day more energy, in the form of sunlight, falls on the roof of most homes than is needed to power them. This energy is generally wasted and can even cause further expense through unwanted heating that must be counteracted by expensive air conditioning. However, many techniques have been developed that use this energy efficiently.
While most people are familiar with clunky solar panels that adorn some homes, passive solar heating and cooling can be accomplished by the structure itself and is very unobtrusive. In the most straightforward designs, windows, walls, and floors are placed to capture either sunlight or cool air and thus regulate temperature. In more sophisticated systems, energy absorbent materials act as thermal sponges, pulling excess heat from rooms on hot days, while energy stored from sunlight is released at night to keep temperatures comfortably warm. These energy sponges can be built directly into walls and floors, but can also take the form of false walls or large containers of water set behind windows.

Save Those Savings

The benefits reaped from green architecture are lost if the investment is not protected by proper insulation. There is a huge list of materials that can be used, from spray-in foams to rolls of artificial fiber. Choosing the right one can greatly increase the efficiency of a green home, and adding insulation is a great way for any homeowner to save money. Together, these methods will decrease a home’s energy consumption and save homeowners money.



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

Recommend or share this page: