Building Energy Efficient Homes

I’ve been doing a lot of research on high performance housing lately and I really think it’s the future.  While a lot of houses in Minneapolis are known for their charm – largely because they were built nearly 100 years ago – that charm also comes with some energy inefficiency.  Today, though, there are some amazing ways to build new with energy efficient methods that can save you some serious money on utilities and long term cost.

So what is high performance housing?  Well, it’s housing that is built to be super energy efficient.  The walls are called “SIPs” (structurally insulated panels), the floors have radiant heat, and there are often solar panels on the roof, to name a few aspects.  Having each of these installed in a home can really make your house a lot more efficient, and can help with overall air quality, too, making your envelopes more air-tight and setting up the right air exchanges in the house.

If you’re considering purchasing a home for $250,000 or more, you should really consider buying a lot instead and tearing the existing house down to build new.  The end result could save you quite a bit of money in the long run, and you’ll be supporting energy efficiency and the environment in the process.  It’s easy to think of a house payment as simply what your monthly mortgage payment is, but it’s important also to take into consideration what your utilities will cost, because that could drive up your expenses more than you think.

I’ll be filling you in on more details about high performance housing as I dive deeper into the subject, but for now, it’s worth thinking about all the possibilities that are available to you in your home search.  Building new with efficient methods just might be the best solution for you.