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In this article we will go through what are the most important design aspects that we should be looking at when designing our homes and what are the improvements we can make, even after years of use to reduce our energy bills, its environmental impact and improving our life quality inside our homes.
The orientation of the building and Façade design
Designing a home that has the best possible solar and wind prevalence orientation is key to reduce heating and energy costs. It allows your home to be naturally cool on summer and warm on winter as much as possible given the local weather. An appropriate façade design based on solar incidence will also allow more light to come into the building on winter and block it on summer, reducing the electricity consumption of your home.
High-performance windows
Windows and other glazed openings accounts for around 25% or more of lost energy. By considering double glazing, special coatings and nonconductive framing materials, you will certainly increase the efficiency of your new home and reduce the heating costs. The annual saving for a good quality high-performance window can be up to £160 a year in heating bills. The annual savings could be even higher where triple-glazed units are installed.
Efficient artificial lighting choices
Artificial lighting source includes bulbs, CFLs, LED etc. Energy efficient lighting-like CFL or LEDs should be used instead of incandescent bulbs, which will reduce not only energy consumption but also heat pollution.
Water Efficiency
Regulating water with equipments with efficient consumption like toilets and taps are fundamental goals for an efficient home. Another strategy that can reduce billing costs is to recycle grey water and utilize it for toile flushing and landscaping.
Solar panels
To many, solar panels will still seem like a new technology, but over one million homes across the UK have them installed to help with their energy usage. Again, this isn’t just good for keeping your energy bills down, it’s great for the environment.
Other bill-saving ideas
Try these other little tricks at home to see those bills drop even lower:
- Upgrade the boiler so it’s more energy efficient
- Low flush toilets that save water
- Economical shower heads
- Convection ovens use less energy
Do you need help designing an environmentally-friendly home? At Nudesign, we have helped many homeowners by providing good design strategies that made their home more efficient! Contact us now and take the first step towards your new green home!
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