Energy Raters

Home Energy Raters

If you’re thinking of building your own home, it only makes sense to work with a certified RESNET Home Energy Rater like Colorado Energy Analysts. Why?

Because while others are others are dealing with soaring energy costs and retrofitting their homes to be more energy efficient, you’ll already have potentially saved thousands of dollars in these sorts of costs. Not only that, you’ll also be doing your part in protecting the environment, because an energy efficient home is one that works with nature and not against it.

Did you know that 20% of all greenhouse gases in the United States are generated by homes that aren’t energy efficient? Which means that in addition to high utility bills, homes that aren’t built energy efficiently are also major environmental polluters. In addition, such homes also tend to be badly designed and insulated, leading to lower comfort levels and higher rates of illness for the inhabitants.

Some reasons why you should design your home with energy efficiency in mind:

Save money in energy costs

Increase your comfort

Protect your family’s health

Save the environment by reducing carbon emissions

Colorado Energy Analysts your RESNET Certified Home Energy Raters can work with architects and building designers to incorporate energy saving features directly into a home design when designing and building the new home. Among some of the things they take into consideration are (as according to the book: Energy Efficiency in Architecture: An overview of design concepts and architectural interventions):

Incorporating solar passive techniques in a building design to minimize load on conventional systems (heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting).

Passive systems provide thermal and visual comfort by using natural energy sources and sinks e.g. solar radiation, outside air, sky, wet surfaces, vegetation, internal gains etc. Energy flows in these systems are by natural means such as by radiation, conduction, convection with minimal or no use of mechanical means. The solar passive systems thus, vary from one climate to the other e.g. in a cold climate an architects’ aim would be design a building in such a way that solar gains are maximized, but in a hot climate his primary aim would be to reduce solar gains, maximize natural ventilation and so on.

Design energy efficient lighting and HVAC systems (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning).

Once the passive solar architectural concepts are applied to a design, the load on conventional systems (HVAC and lighting) is reduced. Further, energy conservation is possible by judicious design of the artificial lighting and HVAC system using energy efficient equipment, controls and operation strategies.

Use renewable energy systems (solar photovoltaic systems/solar water heating systems) to meet a part of building load.