When you’re remodeling your home, you look for the most effective way to spend your money. What you may not think about though, is how your home’s construction can affect your wallet and your comfort later on. During the planning and design stages is when you should make some important decisions about energy efficiency, weatherproofing and other factors that can save money year after year. That’s why we’re offering these cost-saving construction practices to consider for your home remodel.
Take a Whole-House Systems Approach
When designing your remodel, take into account how the remodeled section will impact or interface with the entire house. This ensures that all systems and variables will work smoothly together and that you will save money on energy bills.
Energy efficiency is one of the highest priorities in the whole-house approach. For example, you’ll want to look at how daylight plays into lighting and climate control systems, along with placement of windows, doors and skylights. You’ll also need to know if and how your heating and cooling systems will work with the new space. Do you need to add capacity or even a separate system? Is passive solar design a priority?
In addition, how you use energy should be taken into consideration for:
- Appliances and home electronics
- Lighting
- Heating and cooling
- Water heating
- Insulation and air sealing
Consider Solar Tempering Techniques
You can design your remodel to take advantage of incidental solar gain. This can mean orienting rooms and windows to take advantage of a southern exposure to provide light and warmth in the winter, and avoid direct sun in the summer. Through solar tempering techniques, you may be able to reduce your heating costs between 10% and 20%!
Other ways to include solar tempering include:
- Cellular shades with an R-value close to 4 that can be closed to reserve heat in winter and prevent heat in summer
- Moveable exterior shading, like awnings
- Installing Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) windows on the south side of the home to block heat from the sun. A low SHGC means the window transmits less solar heat.
Focus on Air Sealing
Up to 40% of the energy you use to heat and cool your home can be lost to air leaks, reports ENERGY STAR. That could lead to 10% of your total yearly energy bills! Your remodeler should discuss with you ways to reduce drafts and heat loss with air sealing around doors and windows, the chimney, plumbing and recessed lighting, using weather stripping, caulk, spray foam and more.
Air sealing can:
- Improve indoor comfort by regulating temperature, drafts, noise and moisture
- Improve indoor air quality by eliminating pollutants and dust
- Lower energy bills
- Exceed minimum construction standards for a higher-quality product
Choose Highly-Insulated Windows and Doors
Windows and doors are available with energy performance ratings called U-Factor ratings. The lower the U-value, the greater a window can resist heat flow and reduce heat loss, and the better its insulating value. Good U-Factor ratings fall between 0.20 and 1.20; and ratings are marked on a window’s label.
U-values involve low-emissivity (low-E) coatings of microscopically-thin metal layers applied on clear film suspended between the glass panes to reduce heat transfer. Inert gasses between panes, like argon or krypton, also reduce heat transfer.
The U-value differs from a window’s R-value, which rates thermal resistance, or the ability of heat to transfer from hot to cold through a material. A typical double-paned window has an R-value of around 2, but the most energy-efficient windows have an R-value of 5 or higher. For a less expensive alternative, consider adding storm windows to your home.
Save money on door by replacing them with better-fitting and insulated doors, and by caulking and weather stripping around them.
Other tips for energy savings include:
- Installing tight-fitting window shades, or insulated “honeycombed” shades
- Closing curtains at night to prevent heat loss in winter, or during the day to prevent heat gain in summer
- Application of low-e film inside the windows
- Use of sun-controlling or reflective film on south-facing windows
Super-Insulate All Sides of a Space
When insulating your space, insulating not only the walls, but the ceiling and floor as well, is a great cost-saving construction practice. Every side of a space requires insulating material, with each requiring materials that fulfill its specific need. Techniques can include:
For Walls:
- Advanced framing techniques to save wood and provide extra room for insulation
- High-performance walls that offer a higher R-value, especially on exterior walls
- Double-plated walls that offer a thicker cavity for colder climates. In moderate climates, like Northern Virginia, a cavity of 8” or 9” should be enough.
- Basement walls should be insulated on the exterior, perhaps by insulating concrete forms
For Ceilings:
- Blown-in insulation within a flat ceiling, or building a sloped ceiling to allow for ample insulation
- Closed-cell spray foam insulation, also called high-density foam, to improve airtightness and reduce water vapor. This is best suited for crawl spaces or unvented attics.
For Floors:
- Blown-in dense pack insulation under wood-frame floors, and sealing of the floor sheet perimeters with construction adhesive
- Foundation vents placed where they won’t interfere with insulation
- Slab floors have fewer air leaks, and may not require much, if any, additional insulation
Maximize Air Quality
After your home is sealed from air leaks, create a healthy indoor air quality with the use of automatic, controlled ventilation and good air filtration. This cost-saving construction practice saves on energy as well as healthcare costs.
Builders and remodelers can improve air quality in homes by following the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Indoor airPLUS Program that requires construction practices and product specifications that minimize exposure to airborne pollutants and contaminants.
To qualify, the home must be designed to earn the ENERGY STAR Certified Home label—the government-back symbol for energy efficiency. This will incorporate both the ENERGY STAR and the Indoor airPLUS practices and specifications.
Heath benefits of better air quality include reduction or elimination of:
- Mold, pollen, pet dander and other allergens
- Pests
- Chemical agents like formaldehyde, radon gas, VOCs and combustion products
Select an Efficient Heating and Cooling System
Heating and cooling a home accounts for up to 48% of your energy costs, so it makes sense to select a system offering the most efficiency. Heat can be transferred in three ways: through radiation (top down), conduction (bottom up), and convection (circulating air). You will feel the warmest and coolest through convection, as air circulates around you.
Ways to save costs during construction include:
- Selecting energy-efficient products like those with ENERGY STAR ratings
- Installing a programmable thermostat and using a low setting in winter, and a high setting in summer
- Designing heating systems where they won’t be blocked by draperies, furniture or carpeting
Be Smart About Water Heating
In a zero energy home, the builders and designers look at the type and location of the water heater, and how hot water will be used by the residents.
Types of water heating equipment designed for cost savings include:
- ENERGY STAR rated appliances for optimal performance and energy savings
- Solar water heating through a solar thermal system
- An efficient heat pump water heater that draws heat from its surroundings
- An electric resistance water heater that uses in-tank heating elements
- Circulating water systems that use a pump to rapidly push hot water to the farthest area of the home from the water heater
- Demand hot water systems
Choose Energy-Efficient Appliances and Electronics
The ENERGY STAR Product Finder will help you research and select the most cost-efficient models of appliances and electronics. For cost savings, look for those offering the lowest yearly electrical consumption. Also, consider the smallest size that will suit your needs. Larger appliances require more energy.
Contemplate these choices:
- An induction stove top is 12% to 30% more efficient than an electric or gas range, respectively
- Microwave oven over gas or electric
- Front-loading washer, or one with energy-saving cycles
- Heat pump dryer
- Low water-consumption dishwasher
- Manual on-off switches or power strips for electronics like TV sets, gaming consoles and computers
Opt for Power-Saving Lighting
Switch from incandescent bulbs to LED lighting and you can save about 15% on your home’s electricity use. When designing your home, look for ways to incorporate natural light, and choose lighting products with the greatest energy savings. Save money after construction with the use of timers, dimmers and automatic exterior lighting.
Northern Virginia Remodeling at its Best by Schroeder Design/Build
At Schroeder Design/Build, our designers want you to have the best experience living in your home, and that includes efficiencies like energy savings. We’ll look for cost-saving construction practices that enhance your quality of life while saving you money.
We’re a family owned and operated business, so we understand what it’s like to live in a home we’ve built. After all, we’ve remodeled our own homes, as well as homes for more than 1000 clients throughout Northern Virginia in our 35-year history.
When you’re looking to remodel, come talk to us. Contact Schroeder Design/Build at 703-449-1700
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