At Matt Powers Custom Homes, we pride ourselves on energy efficiency and building greener homes that both help the environment and your wallet. We’re proud to offer certified ENERGY STAR homes, signifying that your home is built well above the typical standards regarding energy usage. The label gives you peace of mind knowing that your home has gone through thorough inspections and testing to ensure your home meets the high standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Our homes with the ENERGY STAR label use 20-30 percent less energy than your average newly built home.
When designing your custom home, you have the luxury of being involved in choosing everything that goes into it. By choosing energy-efficient appliances, lighting, energy sources and more, you’ll be cutting back on the amount of energy it takes to keep your home running smoothly. Luckily, with new everyday advancements, being “green” is now achievable for almost everyone. Here are just a few of the most common switches you can make in order to make your space more energy-efficient.
Opt for LED Lighting. These light bulbs may cost a little more upfront, but they use less wattage and last much longer than traditional light bulbs.
Install double-paneled windows and vinyl frames. Regular single-panel windows let out a lot of heat out during the winter, and cool air in the summer. This forces you to use more energy to try and correct this via your thermostat. With thicker windows, the internal air temperature is better regulated and decreases your heating and cooling costs.
Choose Energy Star appliances when you can- for things like refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines and more. These appliances may cost you more upfront but are so energy efficient that your savings will quickly rack up. You can even find Energy Star programmable thermostats to further boost your savings. Look for the logo when shopping for home appliances.
Look into installing solar panels. While they are investment, there’s really no other way to make as big of an impact than solar panels. By installing them on your roof, your house can produce its own energy by the sun. This significantly cuts your electricity costs. If solar panels aren’t for you, consider a cool roof, which reflects away the sun’s rays to cool, and in turn holds less heat.