Most people can agree that saving money is a good thing. Everyone wants to save a little bit of money here and there. People will clip coupons, look for discounts, and even research the least expensive places to purchase the things they need. Another way you can save a fair amount of money in your life is by making sure your home is energy efficient.

Energy efficiency refers to how well your home uses the power that it takes to run. A home that is less energy efficient is going to take more power to complete a task than an energy-efficient home would take. In turn, this means that in a regular home, you would be paying increased energy bills. Nobody wants to do this if they can help themselves. Thankfully, there are more than a few ways to make sure that your home is energy efficient, especially when you are building your new home from the ground up.

1. Consider the Position of the Home

A lot of people may not realise it, but the position and orientation of the home can actually make quite the difference in how energy efficient it ends up being. For instance, if you are able to place your home in the location that gets the most solar energy, without absorbing as much of the heat that the sun provides, you can make the best out of both worlds with both solar power and lessening the need to cool your house down. A good team of custom home builders in Adelaide will be able to help you out with this and make it become a reality in your new house.

2. Consider the Trees

The trees that surround your house can do a lot more than provide nice scenery during the different months of the year. Just as the position and orientation of your home can make an impact on the summer heat the house experiences, the trees can affect your home in the same way. Depending on where the sun is located relative to your home, you could consider planting trees to help block out the sun during the summer months, while allowing for it to passively warm the house during the cooler months. Additionally, planting trees that shed their leaves during the autumn season will allow for shade in the summer and in the winter, the lack of a leaf canopy will allow sunlight to passively warm your home. The right trees in the right places can really help your home become more energy efficient.

3. Consider the Lights

The lighting in your home will also play a massive role in the energy efficiency of the house as a whole. Fluorescent lighting can get a lot done, but there are so many more different kinds of light that can really keep your home well-lit during the night. Having windows in your home that allow sunlight to come in will help to naturally keep your house lit up during the day, or at the least, the main rooms can remain lit. Any other lights in the house can be powered by solar energy, or you could consider using LEDs. LEDs are far more efficient than fluorescent lighting, and while they may be more expensive at first, they will pay themselves off quickly with how much your energy bills are reduced.

4. Consider the Insulation

Deciding how one wants to insulate their home is going to be a big part of home renovations in Adelaide. From the material of the insulation to where the insulation is located, and even how much insulation you will need, there are going to be a lot of aspects that you need to consider when you speak to the builders of your home. The more insulation you invest in, the warmer your home will be during the summer. However, the less insulation you have, the colder your home will be during the winter. It is a fine balance that you have to work with, but finding your sweet spot can help save you a lot of money.

5. Consider What You Don’t Need

There are many parts of building a home that are simply just adding things to the house whether you need them or not. Additionally, there are aspects of homeownership that can be summarised as prioritising comfort over practicality. If you want your home to be energy efficient, you should consider just how important that comfort is compared to the amount of energy that you can save. One of the biggest areas you will need to consider this in will be when it comes to your hot water, as this accounts for nearly 20% of most domestic energy bill usage.

If you’re interested in designing and building an energy-efficient home, please feel free to contact our experienced team of builders in Adelaide. At Finch Constructions, our reputable custom home builders in Adelaide can turn your dream home into reality.