Today’s new home construction projects, such as house developments on Long Island, now offer the “green” choice: Energy Star rated new homes. Energy Star new construction new homes are houses that meet certain stringent government guidelines regarding energy efficiency.

To be an Energy Star efficient house, these houses must meet these guidelines set by the government at www.energystar.gov:

1. Efficient Insulation 2. High-Performance Windows 3. Tight Construction 4. Efficient Heating and Cooling Equipment 5. Energy Efficient Appliances 6. Third-Party Verification

What precisely is an Energy Star rating and why is it the green choice?

We’ll talk about green . Unfortunately, this concept is tossed around so often that people claim many products are “green” simply because they produce less damage to the environment than other products. When we talk about green, we’re discussing a major impact of contaminants or a positive conservation of energy.

With homes, the main green effect is energy savings. Electricity and heat can be conserved in many ways, reducing the demand on fossil fuels. Electricity, while clean when used, still needs to be produced. Most often, it is produced by burning coal or other fossil fuels with tremendous negative environmental impact. By reducing the electric demand, you can help reduce the amount of toxic fuel that needs to be burned. By doing a few things in your new house, you can massively reduce your electric demand.

First, you need to use high quality insulation in new construction. Use enough insulation to adequately protect your house from the outside elements. Ideally, you should insulate your walls, attic, floors and basement to help maintain an even inside temperature. The more consistent the temperature inside, the less often your heat will kick on, using energy to stabilize the temperature.

Next, think about your windows. With new homes, you can use higher efficiency windows that reduce breezes, insulate outside cold temperatures and help block UV light (which can fade fabrics, paint and carpets, requiring you to replace them sooner).

Solid construction is critical. Small cracks and holes can create significant air flow points that allow heat to escape in the winter and air conditioning to escape in the summer. When this happens, your air conditioning and heating need to work overtime to compensate. Plugging these holes will significantly reduce your energy expenses. With new construction, tight construction, especially around ducts and pipes leading outside, you will have a major savings.

Finally, as you choose a builder, for example www.EmmyHomes.com on Long Island, be sure the houses have a verified Energy Start certification. This protects you to ensure that you are getting the energy benefits that you expect from your new construction.

Craig Axelrod is one of the senior developers from Emmy Homes. Emmy is one of LI’s most established home developers. Emmy’s Commack development features luxury homes in Commack. Visit EmmyHomes.com for details.

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!