When you’re building a new home, you don’t want to choose between beauty and energy efficiency. You want both.
Efficient homes are beneficial for you and for the environment. But how do you determine if your dream home will actually help you save energy? Or which builders to choose?
There are two ways to go. You can trust a builder who already meets ENERGY STAR® standards. Or you can wing it with a builder who isn’t familiar with green building practices and just hope you’ll save money down the road.
Builders like New Tradition Homes are already partners with ENERGY STAR®. This means that all of our plans are already designed to meet the high standards set by ENERGY STAR®. By working with us, it won’t take any extra effort on your part to create an efficient new home.
Here are six of the many benefits of going with an eco-conscious builder and choosing from ENERGY STAR® home plans.
1. Energy Efficiency
Imagine a home that saves you money on your utility bills each month without any extra effort on your part. It’s not something in a sci-fi movie or something that we can look forward to in the future. You can easily have it today.
Homes with ENERGY STAR® certification are on average 20–30
On short winter days, your home can still be kept bright through LED lighting & use Energy Efficient Electric Radiators.
Have unlimited hot water (without the price of traditional water heaters) with a tankless system.
Plus, you can save money through an efficient heating system and well-placed insulation. Your air will be kept at a stable temperature, and you won’t have to keep adjusting the thermostat.
During the summer, your home won’t let in heat through gaps in the sealing.
Energy-efficient appliances throughout your home also help lower your energy use.
2. Make a Positive Environmental Impact
Do you help the environment in little ways, like recycling and bringing your reusable bags when you go shopping? If you want to have an even bigger impact in reducing your carbon footprint, ENERGY STAR® home plans are the perfect way to achieve that.
Effective floor plans keep the climate in mind, and so ENERGY STAR® certified homes in Arizona or Florida will look different from those here in Oregon or Washington. Fortunately, we have over a decade of experience building homes in the Pacific Northwest, and we understand the environment here. We use environmentally sensitive practices and materials that work with our climate. For example, we install sprinklers with rain sensors and use native landscaping.
We understand water protection systems and build our homes to drain water effectively. We also use good building materials to avoid damage caused by moisture.
3. You Can Save Money
It’s always nice to find ways to save money. Why spend so much money on things like utility bills and replacing broken items when you could be putting that money to use in other, more fun ways?
While ENERGY STAR®–rated appliances may not be the absolute cheapest on the market, it’s definitely worth it to invest a little more upfront on better appliances, as they will go on to save you money down the road.
Having a more energy efficient home means that you’ll have lower utility bills. Running the heater and powering your home can get expensive. But an efficient home can save you thousands of dollars on your bills over time.
Better-quality appliances will also last longer and not break down as much as cheaper, less-efficient options. You won’t have to keep spending money on costly maintenance.
Think of this as an investment you can return on in the future. Since you’re currently in the home-building process, you’re probably not thinking much about the resale value of your future home. After all, you’re excited about personalizing it and living in it for many years. But if you do eventually sell, this is an investment you’ll be glad you made.
4. Your Home Will Be More Comfortable
You should enjoy living in your home, not be preoccupied with your appliances or why that one spot in the living room is cold. An efficient house is sealed and insulated with care when it’s built, giving you a comfortable experience once you’re finally living there. A well-sealed heating or cooling system means you won’t have unpleasant drafts in your home.
Plus, a heating or cooling system with no leaks can actually improve your air quality. It can reduce allergens throughout your home, which is important if you have family members with respiratory problems. This makes your home a safer and more enjoyable place for everyone.
Don’t forget about noise. ENERGY STAR®–rated appliances tend to be quieter. Ever have a washer that wouldn’t stop rattling? Or a heater that made strange sounds? While no appliance will be completely silent, the more efficient an appliance is, the less likely it is to make unwanted noise.
5. It’s a Collaborative Effort
It takes a lot of people to build a home. You, the builder, suppliers, construction workers, and so on. This is especially true if you want your home to have any additional certifications. For a new home to earn an ENERGY STAR® certification, the plan has to be approved multiple times along the way. It’s a rigorous process with high, scientifically based standards required by the EPA.
To make things easier for you, all New Tradition’s homes are already designed to earn ENERGY STAR® certification. With so many moving parts, it’s a relief to have a builder who already has years of experience building eco-friendly homes.
Collaborating with lots of people is a benefit to you. Since the standards for ENERGY STAR® home plans are so rigorous, homes that earn it typically go through a lot more testing than homes that are simply built to code. This means potential mistakes are corrected and steps are verified along the way. With many eyes on your home’s development, the end result is guaranteed to be more durable and efficient.
6. Guaranteed Efficiency in Your Dream Home
By now you may be thinking it’s possible to have both a beautiful and an energy efficient home. We promise that it is.
It’s nice to know that when you select any new house built by New Traditions, it will be built to stand the test of time. You’ll love it because you designed it. You’ll enjoy the savings because it’s built into the way we designed it.
The best part is that you don’t have to sacrifice the look of your home to make it more environmentally friendly. We
By going with a home builder who has history, knowledge, and care when it comes to building energy-efficient homes, you can have peace of mind that your new home will live up to your dreams.
