Home Features that Lower Electricity Bills
The electricity bill is one of the largest utility bills a homeowner will pay. As a builder, you have the ability to help buyers out with their electricity bills in a dramatic way. Keep reading to learn more about some of the most impactful features you can incorporate into your home builds to help lower the electricity bills of your end buyers.
Solar panels
Installing solar panels on the homes that you build can result in massive energy savings for homeowners. Solar panels are modular, so you can install as many or as few as you’d like. Residents of sunny states will obviously get the most benefit from solar panels, but you may be surprised to find out that homes in colder climates can also reap the benefits of solar.
Quality windows
If you’ve ever held your hand up to a window with single-pane glass on a frigid winter’s day you already understand the importance of quality windows. Installing high-quality, dual-glaze windows can help regulate a home’s temperature by reducing heat gain in the summer and heat loss during the winter.
Cool roofs
Cool roofs are constructed from a type of reflective material that’s integrated into common roofing materials, like shingles, working to reflect sunlight to lower the roof’s temperature. Cool roofs are particularly useful in states with hot climates where homeowners may be running their air conditioners almost constantly.
Skylights
Skylights might not be the first feature that comes to mind when you’re thinking about lowering the end buyer’s energy bills, but they have a number of benefits. When installed properly they can increase ventilation, help warm a room, and decrease the need for artificial lighting. The added warmth is welcome in cooler climates where homeowners rely on their furnaces more than their air conditioners.
Spray foam insulation
Traditional fiberglass insulation is certainly cheaper to install, but it’s far from being the most energy efficient option. To help your end buyers with their energy costs (and keep them more comfortable), use spray foam installation on your builds. Spray foam lasts longer, doesn’t lose its R-value over its lifetime, strengthens the home’s structure, doesn’t sag, keeps dust and pollen away and reduces wear and tear on the home’s HVAC system.
Builder paid electricity bills
Rick Chitford is an industry leader in California’s HVAC industry, and he has a radical idea: he’s proposing that every builder pay the utility bills on every home they build for the first three years of occupancy. He wants to shake up the industry by trying new ideas, and his ideas certainly have some merit. If you’re feeling extra motivated to help your end buyers with their electricity bills, this is an option that’s sure to be effective.
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