Step 1 - The Energy Audit
If you would like to construct a solar house, you will need
to conduct an energy audit to calculate the total
requirements of your daily energy needs.
Most of the energy that is consumed in your house is
reserved for water heaters, washers, dryers, dishwashers,
computers, refrigerators, freezers, heaters, air
conditioners, electronic equipment and boilers. A careful
audit of total energy consumed by all these utilities will
help you to determine the type of energy efficiency
innovations which should be carried out in your home.
Step 2 - Energy-Efficient Home Design
Designing and constructing an energy-efficient, solar house
requires careful planning and attention to details. There
are several types of solar home designs and remodeling
techniques available to suit everyone's taste and you may
consider approaching a qualified professional to choose the
one which satisfies most of your needs.
Two Approaches
Basically there are two approaches to building your solar
home:
1) a passive solar home design that does not require mechanical
heating or cooling, or
2) an active solar home design, which uses innovative solar
energy collectors capable of absorbing solar radiation, then
transporting the heat directly to storage systems, from
which the heat is redistributed
Passive Solar
A solar home that is designed with a passive system is very
efficient in that your home's walls, windows, tiles and
other surfaces can be configured to collect and store solar
energy, and then redistribute it in the form of heat in
colder winter climates and reject the same in warmer summer
months.
Passive energy designs are very efficient and do not use
mechanical equipment such as fans and pumps to distribute
the heat. Of course, with mechanical equipment comes more
power, but also more opportunities for parts to wear out and
require maintenance.
Active Solar
If you are residing in a colder climate area, then you may
prefer active solar home designs, to displace costlier
energy resources like electricity, propane and oil.
Other added advantages of using an active solar energy
system is that you are saving huge energy bills in harsh
winter months and also reduce emitting noxious gases to a
considerable degree.
Selecting appropriate solar energy equipment depends on many
factors like site, terrain, design and energy requirements.
However, the local climatic conditions are often the most
important parameters in deciding the type of solar home
design.
Step 3 - Paying for Building or Remodeling Your Solar
Efficient Home
Building your dream solar home needs considerable amount of
money and thus a careful planning is essential in preparing
the right budget and accessing beneficial finance options.
Luckily, finding a viable finance option has never been
easier and there are many options and programs to choose
from accredited funding agencies.
Possibly the most practical finance option is the energy
mortgage program, which is still unfamiliar to many
homebuyers, architects and even real estate agents.
Energy Mortgages
An energy mortgage is an innovative program that increases
your buying power by enabling bankers and lenders to
calculate the total monthly energy needs and ensuing
savings, and reassign them as additional sources of income!
There are two types of energy mortgages:
]>> an energy-efficient mortgage system and
]>> an energy improvement mortgage system.
These energy mortgage systems depend upon your home energy
rating aspect to calculate the amount of savings accrued
from home efficiency features and utilities.
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