Tag Archives: Insulation

How Home Builders Create a Better Product for Buyers

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When it comes to homeownership, there are a lot of options out there. You can buy an existing home, build a new one, or even purchase a pre-fabricated property. And each of those options has its own set of pros and cons.

But if you’re looking for the ultimate in flexibility, control, and customization, then building your own home is the way to go. And in this article, we’ll explain why this could be an excellent option for you.

benefits of building your own home

You get to choose everything – the floor plan, the finishes, and even the location.

Looking at new homes for sale is an exciting prospect, but it can sometimes be overwhelming. Just where do you start, and with so many things to consider, it’s easy to get frustrated or feel lost in the process.

The good news is that you have complete control over your new home. You can make all the decisions from big-picture choices like location, floor plan, and overall look to more specific details like the individual lighting fixtures and door fitments.

Depending on the builder, you might even have some say over more practical elements such as soundproofing and energy efficiency standards — not just aesthetics.

So even though buying a new house can be intimidating, it’s also hugely empowering because with each decision comes an opportunity for total customization. With a combination of careful planning, thoughtful design choices, and due diligence on research, you’ll be able to create your ideal dream home!

A new build home is typically more energy efficient and has better insulation than a resale home

When it comes to choosing a new home, many people find themselves weighing the benefits of buying an existing resale property versus building a new one. It’s true that a resale property can offer advantages like more immediate availability and established neighborhoods, but there are some key advantages to consider when opting for new construction.

A major consideration is the energy efficiency and insulation offered by a newly built home — features that don’t always come standard with a resale.

New homes are constructed up-to-date with insulation standards and energy-efficient appliances, meaning they require less energy to heat or cool than older homes. Additionally, you’ll often find higher quality windows on newer models, which helps to seal in the air more effectively than pre-existing single-pane glass technology that may be found in older homes.

So while there may be a temptation to buy existing due to the convenience factor, don’t overlook the importance of investing in modern insulated architecture that could give you substantial cost savings over time.

You can personalize your home to fit your unique lifestyle and needs

Any home is a reflection of its owner and the activities that are taken place there. It makes sense to personalize your living space in such a way that it compliments your habits and lifestyle. By making thoughtful design choices and adding personalized details, you can make your home unique while expressing who you are.

Adjustments to suit your family’s lifestyle will also help you create an environment conducive to productivity, relaxation, and inspiration. A few simple changes, like painting the walls a different color or changing the style of windows, can make all the difference in how your home feels.

Add lighting fixtures that fit each room’s mood and decorate according to what you enjoy looking at. Prioritizing storage solutions and organizing items can help reduce clutter, creating a more comfortable atmosphere for everyone who lives in the house.

Personalizing your living space is one of the best ways to ensure you get precisely what you want out of life.  With just a few minor adjustments here and there, anyone can make their house feel more like home in no time at all!

A new build home will likely appreciate in value more than a resale home in the same neighborhood

When it comes to making a real estate investment, deciding between building a new home or purchasing an existing one can be challenging.

Appreciation over time

On the one hand, buying an existing home allows you to move into it right away and can often come with desirable features like mature landscaping and a larger lot size. On the other hand, building a new home may provide more appreciation over time- especially considering that many resale homes remain stagnant in terms of value or sometimes even decline over time.

Boosted curb appeal

In most neighborhoods, resale homes will have reached their peak value once purchased from the previous owner and won’t go up much in price until significant renovations are done. Meanwhile, constructing a new residence means buyers can pay for all sorts of modern updates and enjoy the boosted curb appeal before prices take off in the area.

So, if you’re looking for long-term economic security and stability, a new build home may be worth considering over other real estate options available in the same neighborhood.

You don’t have to worry about repairs or renovations with a new build home

Moving into a new home can be a hugely exciting experience. But when you move into a resale property, you’re never entirely sure if the previous owner was completely honest about the home’s condition until you move in.

building your own home

With a new build home, you can have the peace of mind that comes from knowing there won’t be any hidden problems or expensive repairs to worry about. Instead, you’ll get to start out with a high-quality and modern home, so everything is fresh and up-to-date.

All in all, when considering the pros and cons of choosing a newly built home versus a pre-owned one–the advantages of having no repairs or renovations needed easily win out!

Our Roundup

So, if you’re considering buying a new build home, here’s our summary of the top reasons why you should go for it:

  1. You will get to choose everything about your home
  2. It will also be more energy efficient
  3. It’ll appreciate in value over time.

You won’t have to worry about any repairs or renovations that may need to be completed once you’ve moved in.

How to Realistically Lower Your Utility Bills

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Homebuilders are starting to pay more attention to sustainability in the construction process since they’re more mindful of eco-conscious buyers and the rising cost of utilities. For example, the use of cellular glass insulation is becoming more common in the building industry.

What about existing and especially older homes, however? How can you realistically lower your utility bills and be more sustainably minded?

The following are things to keep in mind.

Tips to Realistically Lower Your Energy Bills

After-the-Fact Insulation and General Efficiency

While you might not be able to re-insulate your entire house, there are still things you can do to make it more insulated overall.

First and foremost, the winter season is here, and you should go through your entire house to make sure there aren’t any air leaks in your windows and doors. You can use caulking and weatherproofing strips to combat them. You can also install a window insulation kit.

If you have thick, lined curtains, this will keep heat in your house. If you don’t want to buy new curtains, you can add material as a liner, like fleece. During the day, keep your curtains open in the winter, so the sun will warm them up. Then, as the sun is setting, close them to seal the heat in.

Some people use so-called door snakes, which are essentially just something made from materials like old socks that you put at the bottom of your door to block the cold air.

If you have a chimney, plug it in while it’s not in use. In one study, household heating bills were 30% higher when a house had a missing or broken fireplace damper. If your flue doesn’t properly seal, you’re potentially losing a lot of heat through the chimney. You can use a chimney balloon to seal it.

If you have an attic, take a look around. Heat can escape through the attic. You can add foil sheets to the rafters in the roof so that the heat is reflected and goes back into your living space.

Check the seals on your appliances, just like you do for your windows and doors because you want your cold air staying where it belongs.

Improve your heating and cooling efficiency by fixing leaky ductwork, and if you’re sleeping or not at home, set your thermostat back anywhere from 10 to 15 degrees. A programmable thermostat will do the work for you.

Regularly change your air filters because when an air conditioner or furnace has a dirty filter, it makes running your appliances more expensive. It also makes your home dustier. Make sure you’re changing your filters every 60-90 days.

clogged filter of AC

Water

The hot water you use in your home is likely your second-largest power-related expense, based on data from the Energy Department.

Taking shorter showers is simple enough, but there are other things you can do here as well. Replace your showerhead with one that’s efficient, and don’t wash clothes in hot water.

Adjust the temperature on your water heater since the default is typically 140 degrees. If you lower it to 120 degrees, you can reduce the costs of heating your water by as much as 10%. If you’re going out of town, turn the heater to the lowest possible setting.

Lighting and Power

Your electronics and lights make up around 11% of your energy usage.

The easiest fix here is swapping out your old lightbulbs for LED bulbs with an Energy Star label.

Dimmer switch installation isn’t necessarily as easy, but it can save you a lot. Dimmers let you adjust brightness as you need, so you’re saving electricity, and you’re also in control of the ambiance of your room.

Some electronics don’t ever actually power off. They might be in standby mode, so over time, they’re using a continuous trickle of electricity. You can use a smart power strip, which will cut the current if these devices aren’t being used.

You’ll often hear these devices referred to as vampire appliances. A vampire appliance can be anything that doesn’t need to be plugged in all the time yet is.

You can get a home energy monitor that will tell you more about the use of electricity in your home via a mobile app. These devices plug into your electrical panel. You can buy them online, and then it will show you how plugging in or unplugging different devices could impact how much wattage you’re using.

reduce electricity bill

Only run your appliances, like your dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer, when they’re full. No matter how full they are, they’re using the same amount of energy, so wait until you can do a complete load.

Get An Energy Audit

If you’ve never done so, with the likely soaring costs of energy this winter, it could be a good time to consult a professional for an energy audit.

During an energy audit, the person conducting it may do blower door tests, which will check for drafts. They can also use infrared cameras and do other types of inspections to assess the house, the features, and your habits.

These take between one and five hours to complete and usually cost around $400 on average, although they can be more depending on where you live and how big your house is.

Some energy companies offer audits for free or at a discount to their customers, so before you pay, talk to your provider.

The Department of Energy says that if you make efficiency upgrades, it can save you between 5-30% on your bills.

Finally, look at the size of the machines you’re using for both work and entertainment. More people are doing more things at home than ever before, but this could be negatively affecting your energy usage.

Your desktop computer, for example, is going to use more energy than a laptop. Laptops are more efficient overall, and you can unplug them more easily when you’re not using them.

HPE0-J69 dumps

Video game consoles are another example. They’re a lot less efficient than a smaller streaming device. Some people use video game consoles to stream TV shows and apps, but you should only use these consoles for games. Get a dedicated streaming device for TV because a console will use as much as 20 times more energy.

Why You Should Work Towards an Energy-Efficient Home?

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An energy-efficient home is something we should all work towards. It will save you money, decrease your carbon footprint, and make your home and lifestyle more environmentally friendly. Most of us think that achieving an energy-efficient home is difficult, expensive, and time-consuming, but it doesn’t have to be. There are so many little things we can do to decrease the amount of energy we waste and to reduce the amount of money we spend on running our homes. Today, we will be taking a look at what you can do to improve the energy efficiency of your home and why this will benefit you in the long run.

Upgrade Appliances

If your home appliances are old, chances are they are not very energy efficient and will be costing you more than they should to run. When you purchase any new appliance, you should look for one that comes with a stamp of approval, also known as an ‘Energy Star’ rating. This means the new appliance is classed as energy-efficient, which means you will save money on energy bills in the future.

Check Boiler Efficiency

In most UK households, the cost of running a boiler will be more than all of the other home appliances combined. To ensure that you aren’t spending too much on your boiler, you should assess its efficiency levels. There are simple tools you can use to do this. If you are spending too much, replacing a boiler is an option, but it’s expensive. Instead, you can look into cheaper ways of improving its efficiency. It is also important to get your boiler serviced annually in order to get the most out of your boiler without compromising on its efficiency.

Install Insulation

Energy that should be heating your home will be lost through your windows and doors when your home is poorly insulated. If your home is properly insulated, you will pay less to heat your home because the building will retain the heat more efficiently. It doesn’t cost too much to do and the money you spend on it will be made back over a couple of years through reduced energy costs.

Switch Energy Supplier

Some energy suppliers are greener than others, and many of the more sustainable ones also offer surprisingly cheap tariffs. By using an energy comparison website you should be able to find a new supplier that can improve your household’s carbon footprint while also lowering your household bills.

Use Renewables

Renewable energy comes from a resource that is naturally replaced on a human timescale. This includes wind, sunlight, waves, tides, rain, and geothermal heat. Using renewable energy is a great way to help the environment and to save money on energy bills. It can be expensive to install, but it comes with many benefits for you, your home, and the environment.

As you can see, the main reason many of us should choose to have a more energy-efficient home is to save us money, but it helps the environment too. We are all aware of the changes taking place in our environment, so protecting it and saving money while doing so is an offer we shouldn’t refuse.

How Working on the Facade System Can Make a Building More Energy Efficient

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Today, everyone is looking to save on his energy bill. The cost of electricity and gas is simply out of control, in many European countries, and there is no end in sight. One of the ways to make a building more energy efficient is to work on its façade system. Here is what can be done to become more ecologically friendly in the construction industry.

How Facade System can make Building more Energy Efficient

Let there be Light

When working on facade systems, one must keep in mind the importance of natural light that comes inside. If it isn’t sufficient, you will need to use more electricity to light it, which is the first issue. But it is not the only one. If you do not choose to position as many aluminium windows as possible on a building, you may find yourself with rooms that are unfriendly to those who have to work or live inside them. This is a problem that new houses usually don’t have, as they all use extra-large aluminium windows, to let in as much natural light as possible, for the comfort of people, as well as for the energy efficiency factor.

Protection from Extreme Natural Events

Choosing the right materials for a façade system is crucial in the way that it will protect the house against natural events that can occur. When a storm comes in, it will hit the building with high winds, rain and snow. It may even throw the garbage that it will find along the way onto its walls and windows, as well as other natural elements, such as leaves and branches. The building needs to be built, so that it can protect itself against them. First, to sustain the attacks, but most importantly so that it doesn’t affect the temperature inside. Otherwise, the property will need to consume more energy.

Layers of Insulation

When you are building the façade system or renovating it, what you want is to add layers of insulation, one on top of the other, so that it is able to keep the warm air in winter time inside the house, without letting any of the cold come in. The same is true in summer time, when the air conditioning is used inside the house. Good insulation will keep the heat outside and the fresh air inside. Insulation needs to be handled inside the walls of the building, but also on the roof, where the sun beats down, during the warm months of the year.

A Façade System that is Airtight

What can be the weak points of a façade system? The ones that come to mind first, are certainly doors and windows. That is because they can let in some air from the outside to the inside, if they are not airtight. However, the new technology used in aluminium windows and doors has solved this problem. Nowadays, the glass panes that are used have been produced for optimal thermal protection. Therefore, adding more windows on a house to façade systems, in order to let the natural light in, is not an issue anymore.

Benefits of Wide Access Doors for Green Buildings

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Are you considering green technology or green buildings? If you plan to incorporate designs that will help the environment, you should consider wide access doors in your planning! There are various ways to increase the energy efficiency of your commercial buildings to decrease damage to the environment. As the years progress, experts continue to create practical solutions to global warming, and they start with commercial buildings known to be one of the highest contributors to greenhouse gases in the world.

wide access doors for commercial buildings

Know More About Green Design

Green design is a term for sustainable architecture and structural designs. It incorporates simple yet helpful materials, designs, and technologies to minimize the effects of the building on the environment. It is still a progressing technique that not all commercial buildings are using, but to those that are, it is already a significant contribution to the environment.

Role of Wide Access Doors in Green Buildings

You might now be wondering what role doorways play in green buildings. It may not seem much, but if you want to attain that green building title and certification from LEED, you must consider everything, including the doors and hardware.

While you might not consider doors and other hardware as top contributors to the expenses of constructing a building, these components have a higher impact on lessening the energy consumption of your commercial building and improving the overall thermal performance.

Purpose of an Access Door

To understand how wide access doors contribute to green buildings, you must first understand the many uses of access doors. They can vary depending on their type and size, but the primary purpose of an access door is to conceal and protect essential components in a building. When it comes to commercial buildings, you can think of plumbing systems, HVAC systems, and even central wiring.

In hospitals, the purpose of access doors is not limited to concealment but also insulation, proper pressure control, and airflow control from one room to another. Knowing the different goals of access doors can help you determine what type of access door can be more useful to you and your green design. By choosing to install a wide access door, you are not only increasing accessibility but also convenience.

Why It Helps in Green Buildings

Depending on the material of your wide access door, you can help minimize its negative environmental impact. Bigger and broader access doors are not only for convenience, but they are also for safety. For example, if you choose to install oversized fire-rated access doors, it will increase protection during a fire and ensure that there would be no blockage when people access it to escape. These wide doors also come with insulation of their own, lessening the energy consumption of the building. Know more about the benefits of wide access doors below:

Wide Access Doors in Green Buildings

1. Insulation

Access doors can come with their insulation if you choose it. Access doors are often a requirement in most commercial buildings. Having one not only adheres to building codes but can also contribute to the energy efficiency of your structure. An access door can ensure that the air outside does not seep into the building and vice versa. It does not only contribute to energy efficiency and thermal control, but it also ensures the concealment of your building’s essential components.

2. Convenience and Accessibility

Another thing you can benefit from an access door that has its insulation is the convenience and accessibility it gives you. Compared to an ordinary door that does not come with insulation, the properties and features of an access door are worth the cost because of the additional benefits.

You do not have to create significant changes regarding green design immediately. Sometimes, starting with the small things like your doors and windows can help with the overall green rating of your building. Green building is still a progressing idea that not everyone can immediately follow. If you have the means, starting small can already create an impact.

3 Things to Consider When Using Drum Heaters

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For people in the colder parts of the world, temperatures can become an issue. Sometimes, you might need to keep your liquids, water or fuel at the normal room temperature. The main use of drum heaters is that they work as storages that keep their content at a certain temperature.

Barrel heaters are especially needed if their content loses its nature and benefits due to a drop or a rise in the temperature. Barrel heater is a cheap solution for maintaining high energy without paying for its cost, in addition you are reducing the pollution since the energy is being recycled within the system. So, what do you need to consider when you are using drum heaters? That is what we are going to tackle.

1. Harsh weather

Harsh environmental conditions, especially the low temperature of the cold months, might push the need to use a heater for your drums to avoid causing them any damages to keep them in ultimate condition.

Buying good drum heater jackets will keep you away from breaking the bank just to save your desired content. They don’t only keep your drums at the required temperature, they also save and lower the viscosity of the fluids so you wouldn’t need to replace them as often and more importantly, they protect them from freezing in harsh cold environment conditions.

2. Energy saving

Electrical insulated heating jackets offer more protection from cold or freezing due to the extra layer of insulation they have. With heat loss kept at minimum, the heating jackets offer more energy saving options which make their power consumption drop automatically, this also translates to cost of operation drop. What’s even more positive about these jackets is that they are normally designed to cover the whole containers, thus you are more likely to be saved from any energy loss.

Using some types of barrel heaters that do not cover the whole drum might waste energy as they naturally get hot. Due to thermodynamics basics, the heat will start dissipating from the higher-temperature surface to the cold atmosphere. That is why when using the right type of heater for your needs, make sure that it will cover the whole container you have so you don’t waste any energy.

3. Saving space = saving energy

An extra step to save money and time is to place your drums in a closed space. Open spaces make it harder to maintain your drums at desired temperatures. Putting your drums and barrels in an enclosed space will ensure that no energy is wasted to the atmosphere and manage heat escape.

Choose the one that works best for you

When you are first buying the heater, it is always a good step to buy one that is flexible. Drum heaters are really simple on the design side, however, using one that does not fit may create more of a problem than it solves. Buying a good drum heater that is adjustable or can fit any type of container you have, is always a smart idea to save you from the headache and wasting your money.

How to Make Your House as Eco-friendly as Possible?

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Environmental concerns are more widespread than they ever have been, thanks to high-profile documentaries, a raft of alarming science, and some determined activism from green pressure groups. And these concerns are helping to shape the modern home, too.

There are myriad environmentally-friendly ways in which the environmental impact of your home can be lessened. Some of these involve major investment and upheaval; others, however, offer a considerable return on just a little bit of effort.

solar-powered-home

The good news is that anything that can be done to make your home more energy-efficient will also make it greener. For example, replacing an old boiler with a modern combination one from City Plumbing will tend to yield a substantial improvement, even if it’s not an electric one. Let’s look at a few popular means of making a house eco-friendly, and see which will provide the greatest benefit to your home.

1. Light Bulbs

Swapping out older halogen-style light bulbs for newer LED-based ones can save enormous amounts of energy in the long-term. They’re more resilient, and they’ll pay for themselves within a few weeks. Of course, there’s also an environmental cost associated with manufacturing a new bulb – and thus it may be worth waiting for your old bulbs to fail before investing in a replacement.

LED-bulbs

2. Insulate

If you’re burning gas in order to replace the heat that’s escaping through your windows, doors and walls, then you’re imposing a burden on the environment. Anything you can do to improve the insulation situation will therefore confer an environmental benefit. Often, the best results can be had by improving the situation in the loft.

3. Install a compost bin

Your kitchen will produce food waste, which can be put to use in the garden. Install a compost bin, and use the results to grow yourself some quality vegetables. You’ll be slashing your food miles in the process, too.

benefits-composting

3. Heat Pumps

A ground-source heat pump is a device which draws energy up from deep in the ground, and uses it to help heat your house. Despite the name, the heat-pump can actually help to cool your property, too. Plus, you won’t have the visual upheaval that comes with solar panels. With that said, they’re tricky to install into existing builds, and their efficiency can vary according to the type of soil heat is being extracted from.

4. Photovoltaic Solar Panels

If you can claim a little bit of the energy that strikes your roof, then you’ll reduce the amount of fossil fuels that you’re indirectly causing to be burned. Over the course of decades, again, the investment in solar panels will pay for itself – and you’ll get the benefit of solar grants to sweeten the deal still further.

4 Ways to Make Your Next Home Greener

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There is a huge spotlight on the construction industry when it comes to green initiatives – and rightly so. After all, this is one of the biggest contributors to all of the sustainable problems that the world faces. However, this increased focus does prompt some problems. It can make some people believe that going green in the home is out of the question – and is only going to be achieved through some really costly implementations.

Granted, there are some major infrastructure projects you can invest in if you are building a home, with solar power and ground source heat pumps tending to grab the headlines. At the same time, there are smaller wins – and these shouldn’t be underestimated, such as solid wood flooring. In fact, if everyone was to invest in these, we’d suggest that the typical carbon footprint across cities such as San Diego would drop substantially.

Taking this into account, let’s now take a look at some of the quick, green wins you can succeed with as you bid to make your next home greener and more sustainable.

1. It starts with the placement of your windows

As we work with our architect in the initial design phase of our project, many of us are more concerned about the size of our bedrooms and so on.

A common afterthought is the placement of windows. Sure, some people might think about this as they consider natural light implications – but it’s time to think bigger.

Let’s not forget that as well as allowing rooms to heat naturally, windows are something that lets warm air escape. It means that their position is crucial, and treating them as an afterthought is asking for a completely inefficient dwelling.

2. Never forget insulation

In some ways, we were almost tempted not to include this next point. After all, insulation is an old classic when it comes to energy efficiency. It is something that has been suggested for years, mainly because it is incredibly cheap to implement whilst also being very effective.

Of course, it’s always easier to install insulation during the early phases of a project. Try and remember to focus on the roof and walls; this is where most of your heat is lost and is where you can make the biggest difference.

3. It’s not just about energy; think water as well

A lot of today’s guide has looked at energy, and rightly so. We are also going to dip into a point about water consumption, though.

This is something that often gets forgotten about, but the benefits are substantial. A lot of older, traditional bathroom fittings are anything but efficient – they deliver water at a ridiculous rate, and ultimately waste it.

If you turn to modern-day solutions, you’ll find that you can save gallons every year. Suffice to say, this isn’t just going to benefit your environment, but your pocket as well.

4. Your roof is crucial

Finally, if there was just one area of your next home to concentrate on, your roof should be up there as a priority. Nowadays, there are all sorts of materials that can help your plight. For example, for those of you who reside in hot countries, you can turn to roofs with reflective paint to deal with the heat somewhat. Green roofs are another solution which are surging in popularity but in truth, the list could go on.

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