If you are designing a custom built home, taking steps to make it eco-friendly will bring many benefits. They not only help your house stay comfortable, but also minimize your utility bills and reduce your carbon footprint to protect the planet. To help you get started, below are some of the most common strategies for making green homes.

3 Energy-Efficient Features for Your Custom Built Home

1. Passive Solar Construction

Passive solar homes use sunlight for heat. For this feature, the building is oriented so that the widest axis faces the south (the Equator). Large windows on the south side allow sunlight to enter the home to heat the floors and walls. These surfaces store the heat, releasing it throughout the day and even into the night. This reduces the household's reliance on fossil fuels during the winter and helps you save on utility costs. 

2. Super Insulation

An energy-efficient custom built home needs a lot of insulation to minimize temperature transfer.

The "R-value” is a measure of a material's insulating power. For maximum savings, you'll want wall insulation of R-20 to R-30 and ceiling insulation of R-50 to R-70. These values are enough to keep the cold outdoors during the winter and your AC’s cool air indoors during North Carolina’s hot summers.

3. Heat Pump

A heat pump acts as a heater in the winter and an air conditioner in the summer. It is more efficient than a traditional furnace because it does not create heat, but rather moves it from place to place.

It collects indoor warmth on hot days and transports it outside, then collects heat energy from the exterior to pump it indoors during the summer. This means that with one piece of equipment, you take advantage of ambient temperatures to create the optimal indoor climate. 

Contact the experts at B. E. Vaughan & Son to build an eco-friendly custom home. They have served clients throughout Guilford County and High Point, NC, since 1955. They are experienced in building "Healthy Built Homes," a system for home building that considers the environment and sustainability in construction methods and materials. Visit their website to learn more about their work or call (336) 884-8737 to arrange a consultation.