We’re in our Home and Enjoying So Many Great Features

We’re settled in our new home with lots of move-in experiences, and we’re enjoying so many new features we’ve never had before in previous homes. We’ve almost located all our belongings. The first weekend we couldn’t find the leaf for our dining table. With all our family here, we improvised quickly for meals and the last day they were here, of course, we found the leaf wrapped in brown paper under a bed.

All of the decorating features – paint color, crown molding, great light fixtures, tall ceilings, good use of square footage, attractive tile and granite worked great and look exactly like we wanted and imagined. Our furniture fit in the new spaces well and looks good. The artwork looks great and complements the furniture.  So, with the lake view and all the décor, along with our family and friends we really like the outcome of the look of our house.

What may be even more amazing is how well the high energy efficiency components make living in our house so comfortable and enjoyable. From the inception, our builder educated us on the differences in energy efficient homes and high energy efficiency homes. I certainly didn’t know about or understand the differences. But, the differences make such a difference in comfort and sound reduction.

The term energy efficiency is thrown out quite a lot with both realtors and home builders. Most new home buyers don’t question the term and therefore may not be getting much in the way of improving the overall comfort of their homes. Generally, energy efficiency means double-paned windows and some insulation. That’s pretty basic efficiency without saving homeowners on monthly bills, comfort or value.

Our high energy efficiency home includes triple-paned windows, no air loss around windows or doors, and caulking all wood-to-wood joints to prevent even the smallest air leaks. There are several components that add up to high energy efficiency, but the single most important feature is reduction of air leaks. For us, we’ve never lived in a home that was this comfortable. We have large windows across the back of our house with west exposure, and we don’t feel the heat or cold anywhere in the house including the windows. We’re practically sitting on the lake and we see boats pass by but we don’t hear them. For me, that was unexpected and pretty amazing.

In another blog we’ll pick up some of the additional high energy efficiency features that add to our overall comfort. The value in being educated on high energy efficiency items and then making a decision to incorporate them in our construction results in three positive major improvements in our home, including:

Monthly Bills – Our home is all electric and so far our electric bill has been less than $100 a month. Our low utility bills can be looked at as a monthly dividend on our investment. And, as energy costs increase in the future, we’ll save even more.

Comfort – The comfort and quiet of our home are beyond our expectations and way beyond the comfort of any house we’ve lived in. We set our thermostat and never touch it again. For the first time, we don’t feel like we need to keep our house a little too cool or a little too warm to save on utilities. And, we never have a draft or cold or warm spot in the house.

Value – As energy homes become more common, traditionally constructed homes will become energy obsolete and lose favor the same way gas guzzler automobiles have. The traditional homes will suffer in the marketplace, but high energy efficiency homes will appreciate in value and remain extremely marketable.

For more information on high energy efficiency construction give our builder, Blue Moon Bay Builders, a call at 501.520.9201 or 501.262.9310. Like our family, you’ll be glad you did.