Super Energy Efficiency Blog

How Much More Does it Cost to Build a Home Energy Efficiently?

Dennis and I began building energy efficient homes in the 1980’s. We understand construction math and profitability. It costs 5-10% more to build an energy efficient home than "standard" homes.

Many people pay deluxe home prices for fancy looking features but they get only paltry energy saving benefits.

When we first started building energy efficient homes in the 1980’s builders were pleased if they had $10,000 left to share with investors per home after completion, bills paid, and the home sold. Twenty years later builders aim for $100,000.

At this point, you should be wondering how much money was actually spent on the construction of your home?

Foreclosures Caused by Rising Energy Costs

Almost daily, you hear news reports about the increasing numbers of homes in foreclosure. What you don’t hear reported is how increasing energy costs are so often the cause of this devastating problem.

Are you losing your home because you can’t afford to pay your energy bills and your mortgage? If you aren’t facing foreclosure can you afford temperature settings that keep you feeling comfortable inside your home?

What is Comfort in a Home?

What is comfort and how do you define it? Ergonomic studies on comfort are defined by what comprises a state of discomfort, not comfort. For example, discomfort might be described by someone as...

Building Smarter

There are many ways to achieve a high level of energy efficiency. No matter what size home you have, or want to have, this guide shows how to reduce energy consumption by building smarter, reducing CO² emissions and saving money. You can live in comfort with warmer heating or cooler settings, while still contributing to the reduction of energy. How?

The Cycle of Life

The atmosphere has limits that exist between the Earth and the area we label outer space. The atmosphere carries the oxygen (O) in the air we breathe produced by the carbon dioxide (CO²) / oxygen (O) cycle. This CO²/ O cycle exists within boundaries, exhibiting specific characteristics (laws). These laws enable the atmosphere to function and prevent it from going beyond its boundaries/ limitations. What does this have to do with energy efficiency—everything! I’ll explain.

Energy Efficient Homes for a Better World

Since 1985 I have been designing and building energy efficient homes with the needs of energy-conscious people in mind. Not only do these homes save money, they provide a way to stop what could result in irreversible damage to the planet through harmful emissions. This has become both a personal and a spiritual quest for me. What is energy efficiency and why is it so important?

Energy Efficiency and EcoBuilt™ Homes

Instead of using more fossil fuels, we must use less to stop polluting one of our sources of sustenance—oxygen. One way to do this is to build energy efficient homes. You wouldn’t try to store water in a leaky vessel, would you? Similarly, there is no benefit derived from heating and cooling a structure with fossil fuels, - or even the sun or the wind, for that matter - if the structure has not been designed for maximum energy efficiency.