Tag Archives: energy efficiency

Lower your Utility Bills with these Energy-Efficiency Tips

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We are in the midst of summer in central Ohio and the heat isn’t going anywhere for awhile! The summer heat can start to get to you and your energy bills during this time of year. During these hot days, many people blast their air conditioning to keep cool inside. This can quickly add up when it comes to utility costs. At P&D Builders, we’re here to offer you some tips on how to make changes to help you save on your cooling bills so you can spend that money out enjoying the summer with your friends and family.

Building an Energy-Efficient Home

Here at P&D Builders, we take pride in ensuring that your home is built for energy efficiency. We are proud to be an ENERGY STAR® Certified home builder, making your new home more comfortable and reducing utility bills by making your home more energy efficient. We build about 25 homes per year–all of them ENERGY STAR® Certified. Our exclusive “seal-tight” energy system is a complete program that produces the most energy efficient homes and comes standard in every home we build!

Easy Fixes to Make Your Home More Energy-Efficient

There are major changes you can make to reduce your energy bills, but small ones as well. These easy tasks include:

  • Replacing weather stripping on a drafty door
  • Washing laundry in cold water
  • Changing your ceiling fan’s direction
  • Using energy-efficient light bulbs

These simple changes will make a difference on your next round of cooling bills.

Energy Efficient Homes Save More Than Money 

Energy-efficient upgrades provide you and your family savings, there is no question about that. In addition to lowering your monthly utility bill or making your home more comfortable in extreme weather, you might be eligible for tax credits, rebates and additional savings. You can make major renovations such as replacing your furnace or updating your windows and be eligible for tax credits. Plus, you’re not burning more non-renewable energy than necessary!

If you are looking to build a beautiful home that is also energy efficient, P&D Builders has you covered! Reach out to us to set up a meeting.

 

Easy Tips To Make Your Home More Eco-friendly

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Hands protecting green energy house concept

 

Incorporating green practices into your home can be easier and cheaper than you think! We aren’t talking higher priced changes such as solar panels or buying a new ecofriendly car. We want to help people start out with the small, easier changes first then tackle the other ones when they feel they are ready!

You can have an eco-conscious home without building one from the group up. From switching the LED light bulbs to installing a toilet that uses less water, there are a number of ways to make your home a little greener.

First things first, changing the light bulbs you buy is such an easy solution that will save you money in the long run. LED light bulbs have a longer life and use less energy than traditional incandescent light bulbs. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes so they are perfect for any space.

Repurposed materials is another way to make your space not only more ecofriendly but can also be a great addition to your interior design. Countertops, tables, headboards, flooring can all be repurposed and give your space a sense of originality. Some examples of materials that could replace your countertops would be recycled steel or reclaimed wood. Environmentally friendly flooring options are not so hard to find. Flooring made from cork, linoleum and bamboo are not only renewable materials but also assist in home insulation efforts. Linoleum, in particular, is known for a long lifespan, which is always great to hear!

Water conversation is something every household could get better at. Even if you don’t want to make any large purchases right now, changing your habits of long showers and leaving the water running when you brush your teeth are two ways to not use as much water that you can do for FREE. It can even save you money on your water bill! But if you want to take water conservation to the next step, Stealth System toilets (www.niagaracorp.com/stealth) uses less than one gallon of water per flush. An average toilet uses three gallons per flush.  Another great fix would be purchasing tankless water heaters which skip the inefficient and wasteful process of reheating hot water in a tank. They heat on demand so no energy is wasted keeping water hot. You will see savings in energy costs and you will save on water usage because you will no longer be running water while waiting for it to heat up.

These are a couple simple changes you can make starting as early as today to make your home more ecofriendly and energy efficient. Help the environment, one change at a time!

AEP Ohio’s Energy Efficient Program

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Here is a short video on the AEP Ohio Energy Efficient program and what prompted us to participate in this program. We believe in building energy efficient homes as a way to benefit our clients as well as the building practices here at P & D.

Benefits of an Energy Efficient Home

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Energy efficiency is all the rave right now. The more money it can save you the better. Just like you would shop for an energy efficient washer or dryer you also can shop for an energy efficient home builder. There are a lot of great benefits of owning an energy efficient home. Let’s start with the first benefit…

Energy Efficient Benefit #1- It saves you money

Whether it is an energy efficient home or just an energy efficient appliance, you will save a lot of money by purchasing an energy star rated product. For instance, Energy Star appliances can save you up to 30% a year your energy bill. An Energy Star home will save you an average of 20% annually on your energy bill.

Energy Efficient Benefit #2- It helps to improve the economy

Energy efficiency not only saves you money at home but it also helps the economy in more ways than you can probably imagine. Overall, energy efficiency is saving the government more than $500 billion in avoided energy costs. It has also created several hundred thousand jobs nationwide. And of course, it spurs new innovations in energy efficiency. It is a constant, “What will they think of next?”

Energy Efficient Benefit #3- It is good for our planet

You don ‘t have to give much thought into this one, the less energy we use the less natural resources we are using therefore cutting down on pollution. Today the United States is using 52% less energy than we were before energy efficient technologies were introduced. That means that is 52% less products and resources that we have to use therefore allowing those resources to stay on our planet longer. Energy efficiency is going to provide a better future for our children’s children.

Energy Efficient Benefit #4- Guaranteed comfort and peace of mind

In an Energy Star certified home you can ensure comfort and peace of mind with consistent temperatures across your home, an increase in indoor air quality with the elimination of dust, pollen, bugs, excessive humidity. The windows in an energy efficient home also help to block harmful sunlight that can cause UV damage to you and your furniture and flooring.

*Here at P&D Builders we take pride in ensuring that your home is built for energy efficiency. We are proud to announce that we are now a 3.0 ENERGY STAR home builder, making your new home more comfortable and reducing utility bills by making your home more energy efficient.Our Exclusive “SEAL-TIGHT” energy system is a complete program that produces the MOST Energy Efficient homes in the industry…and is STANDARD in every home we build!