Going green is still a big trend with home buyers, but not for the reasons you might think. Where some designers and builders often think that implementing environmentally friendly design functions are about saving the planet, buyers often have different motivations in mind. They’re just as interested in saving money and providing a healthy environment for their family as they are about energy efficiency. Meet their needs with these simple design tweaks that can help save your buyer money on their energy bill.
Go Beyond Appliances
Most home buyers think energy-saving techniques are simply buying or replacing their appliances with Energy Star certified equipment. Admittedly, they’re pretty great, and Energy Star even has a nifty “Home Energy Yardstick” on their site to help homeowners measure how much they can save. However, home builders need to consider energy-saving design as part of the overall plan for the homes they build, from the floor plan all the way to selecting materials.
Take a Whole House Systems Approach that includes consideration of a wider variety of variables that offer reduced utility and maintenance costs:
- Site conditions
- Local climate
- Lighting
- Cooling
- Appliances
Gain More by Using Less
It sounds counterintuitive that you gain more energy efficiency by putting less into a house, but that’s the beauty of Advanced House Framing, a relatively new technique that reduces lumber use and waste in order to improve energy efficiency in wood-framed homes.
Quality Makes a Difference
It’s important to remind your clients that while material costs are expensive up-front, buying quality material will save them in the long run. Investing in quality doors, windows, properly sized furnaces and water heaters and smart programmable thermostats are critical steps towards preserving energy and ultimately saving money each month.
Want to Save Your Client Some Money? Just Look Up
Skylights are one of mankind’s most delightful inventions; they’re aesthetically pleasing and offer a simple way to improve a home’s lighting, heating and ventilation. Another great way to save money is the simple addition of ceiling fans. They provide cooling and ventilation that would otherwise be served by expensive air conditioning.
The simple application of these energy-saving tips will help make your clients’ homes more energy efficient and more comfortable to live in, as well as demonstrate your own commitment to building safe, healthy and cost-efficient homes for the people in your community.
