We have researched the following energy efficient products and methods to include in your new SMARTHOME:
1. Energy Efficient Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC):
Air conditioning equipment accounts for a significant portion of your overall energy consumption. The HVAC system is the determining factor of the levels of comfort you experience as you live in your home. At Cogdill, we use HVAC systems with air handlers offering a minimum of 13SEER to provide you with the comfort you desire, and the energy efficiency you demand. Additionally our energy efficient 13 SEER (minimum) HVAC systems can be upgraded to higher SEER ratings at a reasonable cost.
2. High-Performance Windows and Entry Doors:
Your Homes’ windows and doors are the most overlooked items when it comes to energy efficiency, yet they can have a significant impact. Up to 50% of heating and cooling costs for a home are the direct results of heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer, much of it due to inefficient windows and doors. At Cogdill Builders of Florida, we use EnergyStar rated double-glazed, aluminum framed insulated windows, and insulated steel or fiberglass entry doors, with double glazed insulated glass inserts (per plan) to maximize your energy savings.
3. Sealing Your Home:
We further insulate our homes by using a low-infiltration building envelope sealing procedure to produce a highly efficient, environmentally friendly home. This process reduces air leakage; both from air getting out and from air getting in. Why is this significant? Because air leakage can allow hot or cold air and moisture into your home. A properly sealed home greatly reduces the amount of air infiltration, reducing energy consumption.
4. Energy Star® Appliances:
Energy Star qualified appliances, ranging from water heaters to dishwashers and most everything in between, have the approval of the U.S. Department of Energy. These energy saving products take advantage of advanced technology, resulting in far less energy and water consumption than standard appliances. Cogdill Builders of Florida includes these energy-saving products and appliances in all of our SMARTHOMES. We also use water efficient toilets and faucets, to further conserve energy and conserve water.
Click here for Energy Star information
5. Radiant Barrier Sheathing:
All of our SMARTHOMES built with the GOLD series package include Radiant Barrier Sheathing on the roof. Radiant Barrier sheathing is a roof sheathing product combined with a highly reflective foil, which acts as a reflective shield to block up to 97% of the sun’s radiant heat from entering your attic. This can result in an attic temperature of up to 30 degrees lower, than those without the Radiant Barrier, a very significant reduction to the heat load on your home’s HVAC system. Tests done by the Department of Energy have shown that ceiling-heat gains represent about 12-25% of the total cooling load on the house. Radiant Barrier roof sheathing has been shown to lower the peak cooling energy consumption by up to 17%. Lower energy consumption, means lower bills. I have used this product on a number of homes and it works! The Radiant Barrier Sheathing is available as an option in the Bronze and Silver series.
Click here for RadiantBarrier information
6. Solid Poured Concrete Walls:
See our section on concrete walls describing Solid Poured Concrete Walls!