Energy-efficient homes are becoming more popular in India. They help you save energy and reduce your electricity bills. Many people focus only on buying energy-saving appliances but forget other important things, like sealing air leaks in the ductwork. To build a truly energy-efficient home, you need to think about the entire house, not just one or two parts.
Read this Brick & Bolt blog to learn everything you need to know about building an energy-efficient home.
What is an Energy-Efficient Home?
You can understand an energy-efficient home as a house that enables you to save energy by reducing unnecessary energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions and removing the necessity for non-renewable resources, saving you considerable money.
In India, the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) offers the IGBC certification. This voluntary, consensus-based program evaluates residential buildings based on energy efficiency, water conservation, and other environmental factors.
Key Considerations When Designing an Energy-Efficient Home
The major considerations in designing an energy-efficient home include:
Climate-Specific Design: To build or make your home energy-efficient, you need to consider the region where you are building and understand the area’s climatic variations. As India has different climatic conditions from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, you need to consider climate-responsive house design and create a comfortable living space to save additional utility charges in the future.
Local Building Codes & Incentives: When you are working to make your home with a green building principle or sustainable building materials, you must consider the energy efficiency standards and local building regulations with national building codes. This will ensure the building is safe and efficient.
Material Selection: You need to choose the building materials carefully based on the expected lifespan of your house. You can reduce environmental impact and maintain durability by choosing sustainable building materials like bamboo, hempcrete, and recycled steel. These materials also contribute to better insulation and lower carbon footprints.
Your Budget: Plan your budget and work with experts to build cost-effectively. You can expect a higher initial cost to build an energy-efficient home, but it can considerably reduce your utility bills in the future.
Government Incentives: You need to consider the government-offered tax credits, rebates, and financial incentives for building houses with energy-effective and eco-friendly principles. Also, homebuyers and developers who adopt green construction practices can benefit from tax exemptions and other financial perks. You can benefit from these initiatives to reduce construction costs.
Top Energy-Efficient Home Design Features
You can build your house with the following energy-effective means:
Insulation & Air Sealing
House insulation is essential in both cold and hot climates to maintain indoor temperature. While you use insulation material, always consider the R-value or insulating value. (R-value measures the resistance of an insulating or building material to heat flow.) Consider the insulation with an R-value of at least 20 on house walls and an R-value of at least 38 in the house attic.
For more efficiency, you can choose Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) and cellulose insulation, as they provide excellent thermal resistance, reduce heat loss, and maintain indoor comfort. During the insulation process, don’t forget to include air sealing. You can use air-sealing techniques, such as blown-in insulation and house wraps. It will prevent unwanted airflow from permeating the building envelope, enhancing energy efficiency.
Passive Solar Design
You can create a passive solar house design that helps homes use the sun’s energy to stay warm in winter and cool in summer without needing extra electricity. In the northern hemisphere, houses should place windows in the south direction. This lets in more sunlight during winter, keeping rooms warm. Materials like concrete and brick store heat from the sun during the day and slowly release it at night. This helps keep indoor temperatures steady. This passive design reduces the need for heating and cooling, saving energy and money.
Water Efficiency
Water is a precious part of every home. You need to maintain this by installing low-flow fixtures (like faucets, showerheads, and toilets). It helps reduce water consumption and water bills. You can include rooftop rainwater harvesting to reduce your dependence on water from outside sources.
Smart Home Technologies
You can include smart home technologies to enhance your home’s energy efficiency. Programmable thermostats like Nest and Ecobee allow you to manage heating and cooling schedules effectively, enabling reduced energy usage. Use high-efficiency lighting, such as long-lasting LED bulbs that convert more energy to light rather than heat, instead of incandescent bulbs.
Popular Energy-Efficient Home Styles
Passive House
Passive house is a construction concept that is energy efficient, comfortable and affordable at the same time. This house design saves the money that you need to spend on space heating and cooling, up to 90% compared with typical building stock and over 75% compared to average new builds. They capture heat from the sun, use heat generated inside by people and appliances, and recycle heat that would normally be lost. This smart design means you don’t need a regular heating system, even when it’s very cold. In the summer, these houses use techniques like well-placed shades to block extra sunlight, keeping the home cool naturally.
ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) Homes
ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) homes consist of blocks made from an insulating material such as expanded polystyrene (EPS). ICF is a lightweight insulation material which is hollow inside. Once the forms are laid, concrete is poured into the ICFs’ hollows. This design provides high thermal mass, allowing these homes to maintain stable indoor temperatures and resist extreme weather conditions, making them disaster-resistant.
Net-Zero Energy Homes
Net-Zero homes are designed to produce as much energy as they consume over the course of a year. They incorporate renewable energy systems such as solar panels, coupled with energy-efficient appliances and design features, enabling these homes to effectively balance energy usage and production. They commonly involve: solar panel integration, advanced insulation techniques, smart home technologies for energy management, rainwater harvesting systems and greywater recycling infrastructure
Earth Sheltered Homes
Earth-sheltered homes are underground houses that use soil against walls or on roofs for insulation and protection. These structures can be partially or fully underground. It uses the earth’s thermal mass to maintain steady indoor temperatures and reduce energy costs. They can help to lower heat loss and thus help in maintaining a steady indoor temperature in all climates. This can help to reduce utility bills and save money. They shield from storms and tornadoes. Earth-sheltered homes are also soundproof, as the earth greatly reduces noise pollution. These homes maintain your privacy and are usually quite beautiful.
Adobe Houses
Adobe houses are gaining renewed attention for their excellent energy efficiency and sustainability. Made from natural materials like mud and straw, adobe walls offer superior thermal mass, helping homes stay cool in summer and warm in winter—reducing energy use by up to 50% annually. Easy to modify, adobe structures allow for affordable renovations without compromising strength. Damaged or leftover bricks can be recycled or returned to the soil, making adobe highly eco-friendly. Though once seen as outdated, adobe is now valued as a durable, low-impact building method ideal for environmentally conscious, energy-efficient homes in suitable climates.
Steps to Build or Retrofit an Energy-Efficient Home
If you want to reduce your utility bills, lower your carbon footprint, or enhance your house value, you can start making your house energy-effective by following these steps:
Home Energy Audit: Before investing money, hire a professional to come in and conduct a home energy audit. They will provide a detailed report of your home power usage and where you’re wasting energy. With this understanding, you can prioritise where you’ll make investments.
Choose the Right Design: If you are constructing a new house, carefully choose an appropriate design. You can go for passive solar homes or Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) constructions that focus on maximising energy efficiency and comfort.
Select High-Efficiency Systems: Always include high-efficiency heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, along with energy-efficient lighting and appliances, significantly reducing energy use.
Work with Certified Builders: Work with a certified, tech-enabled construction company that is familiar with energy-effective house standards. This will help you ensure that construction meets strict energy efficiency guidelines.
When you are building your dream home, make sure to choose an energy-effective style or include energy-effective features. Instead of focusing on just one or two aspects—like only upgrading insulation or switching to energy-efficient lighting—you should consider how all components work together to optimize efficiency. To carry out this task effectively, visit your nearby construction company in Mysuru.
Hemali Patel