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Benefits of Energy Efficient / Net Zero Home
It All Starts In Planning...
The most cost-effective steps toward a reduction in a building's energy consumption usually occur during the design process. To achieve efficient energy use, zero energy design departs significantly from conventional construction practice. Including the placement of AC Ducts into living spaces with variable speed AC units, proper insulation, Solar Electric System Design against estimated consumption per sq ft., Solar Thermal Solutions for heating Hot Water and Pools, Energy Storage Solutions for when the grid goes down, high-efficiency windows/high impact windows & Main Sub-Panel upgrades.
In Home Energy Efficient Solutions
Identifying In Home upgrades for Energy consumption monitoring and control is the next step in the proper planning of an Energy Efficient/Net Zero Home. These items include:
- Smart/Auto Control Thermostats
- LED Lighting
- Energy Efficient Appliances
- Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
- CT Scanners on critical load breakers
- Smart Breakers
- Lithium Ion Battery Back Up Solutions
- Window Tinting/Film
- Water Control Systems
Not All Homes Get to ZERO...
Building, Designing and Adding all Energy Efficient upgrades can begin to add to up... However, coming in at even and A- Rating is extremely cost effective and has outstanding Return on Investment when combined with Federal Tax Credits for Solar at the time of new construction, can offer increasing savings against the rising cost of power and provides great solutions for energy when the grid goes down. Even if NET ZERO isn't your goal, meeting with our Design Team will offer many great solutions for building an Energy Efficient Home that will have long terms benefits!
Understand The Scale of Energy Efficiency
One important in Building and Design and Energy Efficient Home is the HERS home rating developed by RESNET. What exactly is a HERS home rating? It’s an industry standard that reviews and rates the energy efficiency of your home. It compares your home’s energy performance to others and gives you a score. A HERS home rating ranges from 150 (being the worse) down to zero (net-zero, the best).
What do energy assessors look at to rate a home? They look at many components of your home, including exterior walls and the insulating R-value, floors, ceilings, roof, attics, foundations, windows and doors, vent and ductwork, HVAC systems, water heating system, thermostat and solar systems. These are just a handful of items that are reviewed. A HERS home rating is often done for a new house but can also be done for existing houses too. If you have an existing house, it’s a great thing to do to assess your energy performance and to see where you can improve.
Lastly, why perform a HERS home rating? Although unnecessary (though some communities are requiring it), it will tell you how energy efficient your home is, and it’s a great thing to have for resale value. Being able to prove how efficient your home is will easily sell your home faster if you ever sell.
WHAT IS RESNET
RESNET’s Standards are officially recognized by the federal government for verification of building energy performance for such programs as federal tax incentives, the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America Program. RESNET Standards are also recognized by International Energy Conservation Code and state utility benefit funded residential energy efficiency programs.
RESNET’s standards are recognized by a number of industry organizations and government bodies including:
- Accreditation of rating providers, rater training providers, and rating software tools
- Quality Assurance oversight of Home Energy Ratings
- Verification of energy savings for energy efficient mortgages (EEMs)
- Verification of a home’s energy performance for EPA’s ENERGY STAR Homes Program
- Code compliance by the International Energy Conservation Code
- Performance option for compliance with energy codes adopted
- Verification of energy performance in state utility benefit program funded residential energy efficiency programs
WHY GET A RATING ON A HOME?
A new study conducted by Freddie Mac found that homes that were HERS rated sold on an average 2.7% more than comparable unrated homes. In addition, homes that received lower HERS Index Scores sold for 3 – 5% more than homes with higher HERS Index Scores. The study also found that buyers of HERS rated homes also have more desirable mortgage profiles.
Why Choose Solar First Solutions?
Energy Efficient Property Appraisals
Over the past few years, one of most sought-after features when purchasing or building a home is energy efficiency. With the lowering cost of solar installation and increasing cost of power, energy efficient are on the rise. The challenging part of this shift in the real estate market is the fact that energy efficiency upgrades are often overlooked by property appraisers due to lack of documentation and data about the upgrades, as well as lack of education on part of the appraisers and real estate agents. Understanding the “HERS INDEX” Rating of the home is where part of this data starts, along with solar system specs and Department of Energy calculations. Providing this data to the MLS listing is important and that’s where Solar First Solutions can help!
LEED Certifications
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water, air quality, and choice of building materials as well as environmental factors such as access to public transportation and responsible land use.
LEED certified buildings reduce stress on the environment. They are more energy and resource-efficient. They generate less waste and lower the use of energy, water, and other resources. Points can be earned for storage and collection of recyclables, renewable energy use, and indoor water use reduction.
SOLAR INSPECTIONS
As more and more solar rooftop systems get installed across the United States, local municipalities face numerous challenges ensuring quality and efficiency in the permitting and inspection process. To benefit permitting offices and authorities as well as installers, but importantly consumers that are purchasing solar systems, IREC releases a module inspection checklist for rooftop solar photovoltaic systems.