Step 1 - The Energy Audit

If you would like to construct a solar house, you will need to conduct an energy audit to calculate the total requirements of your daily energy needs.

Most of the energy that is consumed in your house is reserved for water heaters, washers, dryers, dishwashers, computers, refrigerators, freezers, heaters, air conditioners, electronic equipment and boilers. A careful audit of total energy consumed by all these utilities will help you to determine the type of energy efficiency innovations which should be carried out in your home.

Step 2 - Energy-Efficient Home Design

Designing and constructing an energy-efficient, solar house requires careful planning and attention to details. There are several types of solar home designs and remodeling techniques available to suit everyone's taste and you may consider approaching a qualified professional to choose the one which satisfies most of your needs.

Two Approaches

Basically there are two approaches to building your solar home:

1) a passive solar home design that does not require mechanical heating or cooling, or

2) an active solar home design, which uses innovative solar energy collectors capable of absorbing solar radiation, then transporting the heat directly to storage systems, from which the heat is redistributed

Passive Solar

A solar home that is designed with a passive system is very efficient in that your home's walls, windows, tiles and other surfaces can be configured to collect and store solar energy, and then redistribute it in the form of heat in colder winter climates and reject the same in warmer summer months.

Passive energy designs are very efficient and do not use mechanical equipment such as fans and pumps to distribute the heat. Of course, with mechanical equipment comes more power, but also more opportunities for parts to wear out and require maintenance.

Active Solar

If you are residing in a colder climate area, then you may prefer active solar home designs, to displace costlier energy resources like electricity, propane and oil.

Other added advantages of using an active solar energy system is that you are saving huge energy bills in harsh winter months and also reduce emitting noxious gases to a considerable degree.

Selecting appropriate solar energy equipment depends on many factors like site, terrain, design and energy requirements. However, the local climatic conditions are often the most important parameters in deciding the type of solar home design.

Step 3 - Paying for Building or Remodeling Your Solar Efficient Home

Building your dream solar home needs considerable amount of money and thus a careful planning is essential in preparing the right budget and accessing beneficial finance options. Luckily, finding a viable finance option has never been easier and there are many options and programs to choose from accredited funding agencies.

Possibly the most practical finance option is the energy mortgage program, which is still unfamiliar to many homebuyers, architects and even real estate agents.

Energy Mortgages

An energy mortgage is an innovative program that increases your buying power by enabling bankers and lenders to calculate the total monthly energy needs and ensuing savings, and reassign them as additional sources of income!

There are two types of energy mortgages:

]>> an energy-efficient mortgage system and
]>> an energy improvement mortgage system.

These energy mortgage systems depend upon your home energy rating aspect to calculate the amount of savings accrued from home efficiency features and utilities.

Article Source: http://www.energyefficienthomearticles.com

The Solar Home Site (www.solarhomesite.com) provides energy-efficient ideas, how-to's and product recommendations. Save on your electricity costs as soon as this year! Article Source: www.goarticles.com

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