Why are new homes not more energy efficient? Because many homes are built under the assumption that home buyers are only interested in the lowest upfront cost. Let’s look at two situations: 1) A builder builds a 2,500 square foot home with standard windows, standard levels of insulation and a standard forced air furnace (90% efficient). Let’s say a home of this size would cost the buyer $250,000. A home of this type will typically spend about $1,200 in natural gas costs (primarily to heat the home and for the hot water heater). 2) A builder spends an additional $9,000 (after rebates and incentives) and installs either a geothermal system to heat the house or a large solar hot water system to both heat the house and provide hot water. In this example, the home buyer would spend $259,000 to purchase the home. However, the heating costs would reduce the energy bills by an average of $75 per month.
Comparing the Options
The increase in the mortgage for the energy efficient home would cost only $54 per month. So, the homeowner would actually have more money at the end of each month by purchasing the more expensive home. We have made significant strides in the last 5-10 years in encouraging both builders and buyers to make energy efficiency a priority. The Green Built Homes and Wisconsin EnergyStar Homes programs have made quite a bit of headway with new construction. But we still have far to go. So the question is—Why don’t more homebuilders build energy efficient homes? Certainly there are some that either don’t know enough about energy efficient options and/or don’t have any experience installing them. However, the bigger issue is that many homebuilders don’t believe the increase in efficiency is truly valued by the average buyer. At the end of the day, the market is driven by the homebuyers’ demands. If more interested buyers understand the financial benefits of energy efficiency and expect it, the builders will have no choice but to keep up with demand. Now that you know it actually saves you money, make sure your next home is an efficient one!
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For More Information
For further information, please contact Piping Plover Home Energy Solutions at 608-826-HOME. With one quick phone call we can compare your home’s energy use to energy efficient homes of the same size and age in Dane County to determine whether or not an in-depth home energy assessment is necessary. We then perform an analysis that integrates your home’s energy use with renewable site assessments to ultimately determine your best investment. Feel free to visit our website at www.PipingPloverEnergy.com.
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