Congratulations! Your permit to build a new house has been approved. There are some things you need to consider when designing and building your dream home. One of the most important aspects is how energy efficient your home will be once it is built. This is important because non energy efficient products will eventually need to be replaced and will cost you more money to maintain. By starting at the conception stage with planning out what materials will be used where and noting how certain materials react to climate change, you have a better idea of how to make your new home more energy efficient from the beginning instead of having to replace and/or repair existing material.

So where do you start? You might first start by getting with a qualified architect and have him do a performance analysis on how your proposed design will hold up under a variety of factors such as weather and carbon footprint. Leaky roofs and windows cause problems such as heat loss and increased energy consumption. Having energy efficient materials however will ensure that you remain warm in cold weather and save energy. Energy solutions should include your roof, your windows and doors, your heating and cooling system and your lighting.

Selecting the right roof for your home

After your foundation, your roof is the most important item in your proposed home. You need to consider what material you'll use and how it reacts to the climate. You want to make sure that you have the right material for your area of the country according to Great Canadian, a company that provides roofing and siding in Calgary.

Keeping the cold and heat out of your home

When looking for energy efficient windows and doors, you need to know what climate zone you are in, what material you can use and how resistant it will be to leaks. Correctly installed windows and doors will save you thousands in energy costs. Energy efficient windows should have quality frame materials such as aluminum, multiple panes of glass, low e-glass, gas fills and warm edge spacers. Doors also need quality frame materials for any glass, a good core material and weather stripping.

Making sure you are warm in the summer and cool in the winter

Once you have established what you are going to use for your framework, you must decide what heating and cooling system you will use for your home. Having solar panels on your roof will cut heating costs by half by connecting your heating/cooling system to them. Conventional heating/cooling systems also provide energy savings. Deciding what heating/cooling system you want in your home is a matter of what initial costs you will incur in both construction and materials. Solar energy may be your best bet if you are living in a climate zone where there is a lot of sunlight. You may want to consider having both a conventional and solar powered heating/cooling system just in case.

Let there be light!

Lighting your home is important as far as energy conservation is concerned. Replacing old fluorescent lights with newer LEED lights will cut your energy bill in half. When you are first starting to plan out your new home, consider both the climate and the light's function inside your home. For example, a reading lamp by a bedside wouldn't need a 100 watt light bulb to light efficiently. Planning the use of which light source will go where and how much light you need will help you be more energy efficient and save you energy costs.

Building your new home can be a challenging and rewarding experience. Energy efficient roofs, windows and doors, heating and cooling systems, and the right lighting will go a long way towards making your dream home a reality instead of a nightmare. Energy costs do vary, so you must make a determination about which material you will use to build and maintain your new home.