In the past the house energy rating system was a foreign concept. However, the increasing violation of the environment and the need for energy conservation necessitated the need for the development of laws to govern the construction of buildings.
The process of making an assessment of energy is dependent on several basic factors. These include:
- the layout of the house,
- how the roof, windows, walls and floor of the house have been constructed,
- window orientation and shading to the sun’s rays and the wind,
- how well the positioning of the windows suit the local climate,
- the sealing and its ventilation,
- coloration( dark or light colors),
- floor coverings
Some of the basic ratings are zero ,5 star, 6 star and 10 star.
With more and more people embracing the concept of a green society, the construction of energy efficient homes is becoming a common practice. The design and architecture of the house has tremendous impact on the house energy rating of your home. There are several ways of producing an energy efficient home.
Lightening
Lighting is one of the basic ways of improving energy efficiency in any given building. A home whose design is oriented to the sun or consists of more windows and sky lights for increased natural light conserves energy sufficiently. You could also incorporate open layouts to improve the amount of energy saved by building materials.
Water heaters
Water heaters are one of the main appliances known to consume a lot of energy. Installing insulating jackets round our water heaters and pipes goes a long way in conserving energy. Building houses with heaters consisting of insulating jackets lowers the temperature of the heater which translates to lower energy consumption.
Windows
You can also have your house observe proper insulation and double paned windows for energy efficiency. For old constructions, one can replace the windows and doors with more greener solutions. Moreover, the outlets, window doors and vents can be insulated using caulk. Maintaining heating and cooling pipes and replacing filters on a regular basis is also known to conserve energy.
Appliances
The other way of saving energy is through the use of appliances with energy star rating. Energy star is an initiative which evaluates the efficiency of appliances. So one way of saving costs on energy is installing appliances that contain an energy star. Buy computers, refrigerators, driers and home electronics which contain an energy star emblem.
Landscaping
Landscaping can improve the amount of energy you consume in terms of air conditioners and heaters. To maintain cool conditions during hot weather, one can use trees. Well trimmed trees permit breezes to circulate sufficiently around the home. The position of the trees will also protect the house from direct sunlight. During hot climate, the trees will shed their leaves allowing the sun’s rays to penetrate into the house.
Architecture and design
Modern architecture and design has made it easy for people to go green. There are many energy efficient designs that can be used on both newly constructed and old buildings. These developments have greatly assisted in significantly reducing the human carbon foot print while helping ease the cost of energy.