Energy-efficient homes are the future. These homes will enable people to save the planet while trimming expenses from their utility bills. When it comes to energy-efficient home building, experts follow many different design principles. Some builders might tackle various issues homeowners want to address, such as passive cooling in Kentucky or natural lighting in Minnesota. Our talented Wausau Homes builders can take even the most complex concerns and turn them into a home you feel proud to call your own.

Here’s how we build energy-efficient Wausau Homes.

Discuss Homeowner Concerns & Budget

Even in the same region, not all homeowners have the same concerns or goals for building a sustainable home. For example, one homeowner might want to invest money now into saving on utility bills later. Another homeowner might feel equal concern about the materials used in building a home. They could experiment with more organic choices, even when they cost more and do not offer energy savings. Decide what your ‘why’ is and share that concern with your local Wausau Homes builder so they can meet your needs.

The cost of building your home could be higher when you include specific sustainable initiatives. How much are you willing to add to the budget so you can address those concerns? Note that some states have grants in place to cover the cost of energy-saving initiatives. Do your research to see whether you qualify for grants or tax breaks.

Our Eco-Friendly Building Process

Imagine the difference in the building process when you have full control over the climate, the protection of the lumber, and the precision of the cuts. Using our unique panelized construction process, we build the framework of your home in a climate-controlled environment. This process fuses human ingenuity with precise high-tech machines. Resulting in construction that is fine-tuned to build more efficiently and reduce overall waste. And because we do not measure each piece by hand out on a construction site, we are reducing the time it takes to build a custom home.

Within our climate-controlled environment, our craftsmen don’t battle the typical outdoor elements. And the bonus lies in the result: The Wausau Homes building process ensures a more robust, tighter, higher-quality home with less waste and no cost overruns or time delays. Ultimately this creates a straight and true house envelope that is sealed, so you don’t have heating and cooling that escapes.

Focus on Passive Climate Control

The best sustainable solutions are the ones that do not require your constant intervention, such as passive climate control. Our builders can discuss your new home’s strategic orientation and placement on your lot during their in-person lot visit. This consideration can help you take advantage of solar heating during the winter and comfortable cooling in the summer based on the natural weather patterns.

Prioritize High Quality Insulation

Knowing which type of insulation that’s right for you can make all the difference in creating a more comfortable and energy-efficient home. Insulation is usually in places where air can escape, like between studs inside the walls or in attic spaces. When you place insulation in these spaces, it can slow the transfer of heat exchange. Having adequate insulation can reduce heating and cooling expenses by as much as 15% annually.

But not all insulation is made equal.

There are essentially five significant categories of insulation: blanket batts and rolls, spray foam insulation, blown-in insulation, foam board or rigid foam panels, and reflective or radiant barriers. Depending on your home’s location and ultimate goals for energy efficiency, you can work with your builder to determine the best kind of insulation for your home’s needs.

Install Efficient Lighting

Most homeowners turn to LED lights when looking for cost-saving options, but not all homeowners like LED lights. The choices now available in the LED arena have exploded in recent years. You can purchase bulbs at different brightness, color hues, and dimmable. Many of these bulbs come with a long life. You pay for them once and don’t have to think about them for at least a decade. And the monthly expense for your electric bill is substantial. Talk to your builder about cost-efficient lighting options to suit every budget and style.

Install Energy Star Appliances

You can significantly reduce energy usage in your home by installing Energy Star appliances that only cost slightly more than others, and the future savings are well worth upgrading. Remember that newer products are almost always more energy-efficient than older ones, so keep this in mind if you originally planned to move with your old appliances.

Use Technology

You can further reduce consumption by relying on technology to simplify tasks. Consider sensor-activated lights that turn on and off automatically. You can choose similar features when buying faucets for the kitchen and bathrooms. You can also find showerheads that provide excellent water pressure but still reduce water use.

When choosing a home builder for your sustainable home, consider Wausau homes. We are committed to infusing eco-friendly solutions into our building process so you can build a future-proof home today that will help you tackle tomorrow’s problems. Find a builder near you.