new homes & Green features

Most new homes look great from their outside, but that doesn’t mean much. What’s behind the walls is as important – and sometimes more important - that what we can observe directly.

When buying a home pay attention to non-visible features, unless you have a guarantee given by an independent entity (Energy Star or other).

Home design

The design of your home should consider features like the size (a too large home can’t be an energy efficient building), shape (elongated along a proper axis?),floor-plan, orientation (for solar heat gains or for cooling) or a proper landscaping…

See: New Homes & Design Basics

Behind the walls

The “behind the walls” features are crucial to get more comfort, indoor environmental quality, lower utility bills, lower water consume, or for environmental reasons. It involves features like insulation, air sealing, wall framing (or the type of walls) and the duct system and siding…

Note: Invisible features demand proper auditing, with specific assessments and tests (infrared test...). This last test (see image) will show the areas of the house that may cause excessive heat loss (in winter) or cooling loss (in summer), which is closely related with the insulation levels and air barriers.

Other green and energy efficient features

Besides “invisible” features, pay also attention to the “visible” ones: windows and doors, renewable energy sources (like solar water heating systems and photovoltaic systems) or heat pumps and energy efficient boilers...

Insulation and air sealing

Insulation and air sealing of the walls, attics and floors are crucial to get a qualified energy-efficiency home. They are the most single element for energy-efficiency and should be installed properly (insulation shouldn't have gaps or compressed areas and voids).

Air sealing is also crucial, and involves a lot of elements behind the scenes, like the holes for wiring (see image, showing some of these holes sealed with foam).

See: New homes & Insulation

Non-leaky ducts

Ducts: sealing is crucial Properly sealed ducts is also a key element for energy efficiency. Leaking ducts will reduce heating and cooling efficiency by up to 20%.

Leaky ducts are responsible to let dust, moisture, or noise into your house.

See, for more details: Duct Sealing Basics

Advanced windows and doors

New qualified windows Single glass windows are a thing of the past. Qualified windows, doors, and skylights (responding to your climate) are key elements to keep your home cooler (in the summer) or warmer (in the winter). Besides, they will also avoid or reduce moisture condensation….

See, for more elements: New homes and Windows

Efficient lighting fixtures and bulbs

A qualified new home should include efficient lighting fixtures and bulbs. Home lighting can be an important source of energy consumption.

See: Basics on Lighting

Renewable energy sources

Renewable energy sources like photovoltaic electricity or solar water heating are important to decrease the overall home’s energy consumption.

Water-efficient features

Low-flow showerheads, or water-saving toilets and faucets are important green features. Qualified Energy Star washing machines or dishwashers are also important ways for conserving water.

Other water saving elements include waste-water treatment systems, or irrigation (low-volume) and rainwater collection systems, or recirculation of hot water.

Indoor Air Quality Features

Cross ventilation scheme for a hot climate home Your home’s HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) system should be properly sized, installed and designed. That’s important for energy-efficiency reasons. Kitchen or bathroom fans, and other alternatives to central air-conditioning systems are also crucial to get good and healthy fresh air inside, and to release stale air.

See: Mechanical Ventilation

Other elements

Other “small” details or features should also be considered, like construction materials (low-VOC paints and finishes, wall papers, etc.), their thermal mass, zone heating and cooling, the type of framing, etc.