Keeping your home as energy efficient as possible isn’t just an excellent way to save money on monthly utility bills. It’s also good for the environment, and your pursuit of better home energy efficiency may even lead to higher comfort levels inside your home. If you are designing a new home, energy efficiency needs to be a top consideration. While some may immediately think of smart appliances and other tech-related upgrades, one of the best ways to ensure energy efficiency in the new home you’re designing may be as simple as choosing the right sizes and placements for your windows.
Consider the Cardinal Directions for Your Windows
As you consider the size, shape, and layout of the new home you’re designing, it’s essential to understand the way daylight will influence the inside of your house with the windows you’ve selected. This is known as passive solar home design. First, consider the way your new home is facing to determine the best placements for your energy-efficient windows. Allowing light to light the interior of your home during the day reduces your need to use electrical lights dramatically.
Windows that face east allow sunlight into your home during the morning, and windows facing west do the same in the evening. However, these windows may also lead to glare, make your home warmer during the summer, and do little to warm your home during the winter. North-facing windows result in very minimal heat gain during the summer and allow minimal room for glare, resulting in even natural light cast through the north side of your home. South-facing windows, when appropriately shaded, do not admit much direct sunlight during the summer and allow a great deal of winter sunlight in the colder months.
Additional Design Choices for Capturing Daylight
Lighting the inside of your home with natural light during the day means less energy and money spent on keeping artificial lights on. While the directions of the windows you install in your new home are some of the most important considerations for natural lighting, you can make a few more choices during the design phase of your home to ensure a higher level of energy efficiency. Consider roof windows or skylights oriented in the right directions to allow more light into your home during the day.
Choosing the right builder for your project can also help ensure maximum energy efficiency. An experienced builder can help you consider often-overlooked details that can eventually lead to significant savings on your monthly energy bills and greater overall energy efficiency for your home.
If you’re building a new home or remodeling your current home in northwestern Ohio, the team at Premier Builders can guide you through the whole process and offer advice that can help you make your new home as energy-efficient as possible. Contact us today to learn more about the building services we offer.
