Energy Efficient House Plans and Home Designs

The ideal home meant different things in different eras. Nobody seeks moats and parapets anymore. While plans for rambling Victorian mansions may have served in the late 1800s, today’s homeowners seek energy efficient house plans that take advantage of free power from sunlight. Especially under the warm Florida sun, wise homeowners turn to solar power for hot water, electricity, pool heating and more. Energy efficient house plans that build in these money-saving, environmentally positive features create real value.

Solar at Your Service

The time when solar power meant fickle and fragile equipment is long past. Today, solar power is integral in energy efficient house plans that take advantage of minimal investment costs for passive solar panels, while tapping the abundant sunlight Floridians savor. As you and your architect sit down to discuss the best options for energy efficient house plans, whether you are building an investment property or a dream home for retirement, remember that solar power can work for you in many ways:

• Solar hot water—Watch your water heating costs drop by as much as 90 percent with either an active or passive solar hot water system to provide your family with nearly unlimited hot water wonder if you should concentrate more on PV and not give solar hot water so much attention at this point in the cycle?

• Solar electric—Photovoltaic (PV) systems on the roof of your new Florida home can return clean, free electricity for decades, and could one day make your grid-tied meter run backward, as you sell excess electricity back to the utility

• Solar pool heating—Rather than be at the mercy of ever-increasing utility rates, you can heat your pool while increasing your property value

One-Two Punch

As you pore over your energy efficient house plans and dream of the beautiful interiors, backyard and pool area of your ideal Florida home, remember that solar energy is one component of your energy efficiency. Other areas that help give you the one-two punch to high energy bills:

• Sun angle—Work with your architect and contractor to site your home to take full advantage of direct sunlight, while keeping bedrooms on the cool side of your planned home

• Insulation—In all seasons, adequate insulation in walls; attic; the underside of your pitched roof; and even garage doors will help lower energy costs, conserving resources and making your home more comfortable

• Building materials—Choose low-emissivity materials that repel Florida’s heat, such as concrete or cinder block walls filled with insulation to provide passive energy efficiency

• Consider getting home Energy Star rated. Use: energystar.gov

• Weatherstripping and caulk—Apply around all doors, windows and building envelope piercings to lock expensively treated air inside Have your home tested with a blower door to determine its airtightness

Poolside Chat

Whether for luxury vacations or permanent retirement, a Florida dream home is not complete without a pool in the backyard. Heating the pool, however, is anything but a dream—it is an expensive headache. For the greatest benefit with energy efficient house plans, your pool heating needs must be part of the strategy. Sit down with your contractor and architect to determine the best solution, then contact Superior Solar.

We will...

• Begin with a telephone consultation—We can help you decide if solar pool heating, solar hot water or solar electric is right for you

• Continue with a site visit—Whether retrofitting solar to your existing home or still in the planning stages, we can meet with you to decide how to gain the most advantage in your energy efficient house plans.

• Install expertly—After getting needed permits and assembling the parts of your unique solar solution, we will install your solar pool heating system, home solar electric, or solar hot water heater as quickly as possible.

Contact Superior Solar today to learn how we can help you save money while enjoying the full benefits of your heated pool.