Housing...Inside and Out

December 17, 1999
Keep Energy Measures In Mind

If you are selecting, building, or remodeling a home, you have a golden opportunity to be an energy conservationist. Many decisions you will make will affect the amount of fuel or energy required to operate your home.

  • Provide only as much space as you actually need. Remember you will have to heat, cool, light, maintain and clean it.
  • Reduce space allowed for little used areas. Example: how large does a formal living room need to be if you only use the family room?
  • Consider multi-use rooms: living room-dining room, office-guest room, etc.
  • An entryway to the home will trap outside air and keep it from spreading through out the home.
  • Locate "hot rooms" such as the kitchen and laundry rooms in cooler sections of the home - away from the west summer sun. 
  • Design and orient the house so that you do not have large west windows that are not shaded in the summer.
  • Protect windows from the summer sun's rays for means of shades, screens, and roof overhangs.
  • Avoid large expanses of concrete or blacktop directly adjacent to large windows.
  • Landscape the yard to provide trees to shade the roof and west windows in the summer.
  • Select window treatments with an eye toward insulating qualities for the winter. 
  • Carpet the floors since they are warmer than smooth flooring.
  • Consider the color of the rooms in relation to the location in the home. Warm colors such as reds and yellows will make cool rooms seem warmer. Cool colors such as blues and greens will make hot rooms seem cooler.
  • Insulate the attic.
  • Select insulated double pane glass for all windows.
  • Take care in selecting kitchen appliances. Select only appliances and features that you need and will use.


Written by Dr. Francis Graham (Retired)

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