Energy-Efficient New Construction
Thinking about building a new home? Learning the basics of energy-efficient home design, siting, and construction can help you make choices that minimize your home's energy consumption over its lifetime.
But how do you choose a designer or a builder who's well trained, experienced, and up-to-date on the latest energy saving materials and building techniques? How do you evaluate the cost-effectiveness of one efficiency strategy over another?
These resources can help.
Elements of an Energy-Efficient Home Eight-page U.S. Department of Energy guide
makes a good place to start learning.
Green Basics A comprehensive, well-organized online Green Building Encyclopedia to
guide you through every step of an energy-efficient building project, from site selection
and design, to construction and interior finishing.
Thinning the Herd: How to pick the best eco-builder 11-page workbook advises
prospective homebuilders on questions to ask and characteristics to look for in a builder.
Green Building Primer Excellent pages that help explain what it means to "build green."
Take a "whole-house systems approach" to building or remodeling Recognizing that decisions about one design element may affect many others, a whole-house systems approach considers the interaction between you, your building site, your climate,
and other elements or components of your home.
Residential Energy Performance Association (REPA) Nonprofit membership organization
aims to stimulate public awareness of the energy-efficiency services available throughout
Building techniques that improve energy efficiency
You can reduce your home's heating and cooling costs, increase its structural durability, and make your living space healthier and more comfortable through proper insulation, air-sealing, moisture-control, and ventiliation techniques. A home's overall energy efficiency depends on a balance among these four elements:
Advanced House Framing Techniques Advanced framing techniques create a structurally sound home or addition with lower material and labor costs than conventional framing. Reduce building's heating and cooling costs and realize savings from reduced waste disposal during construction.
New construction Andy Duncan, Used with permission.