Skoda | Design & Architecture, PLLC

If I make one major energy efficiency improvement to my home, what should it be?

This is one of the most common questions from homeowners because most people who want to make their house more efficient cannot afford to update every aspect of their homes at one time. People want to know what will give them the biggest energy efficiency improvement for the lowest cost. Usually those asking this question have already adopted the easiest and cheapest energy efficiency upgrades, such as changing light bulbs, adjusting thermostats and getting more energy-efficient appliances. But once the easy upgrades are done, what …

When polled, 89 percent of Americans say they support the development of solar energy at both the residential and utility scale. This proves true across the entire US, among all political and economic demographics. So why isn’t solar being installed on more homes?

For starters, many people have misconceptions about solar technology and the solar industry that are deterring them from installing solar systems. Below are four common myths about solar energy which continue to cause doubt among consumers:

Myth 1: Solar is too expensive

By far the biggest challenge facing the industry is educating consumers about how they can become …

Something is amiss in the US residential building sector today. People are simultaneously short on money and energy prices continue to rise. Prices are rising because of increased demand from utilities to produce more energy and the increasing demand of fossil fuel energy sources around the globe, according to the Energy Information Agency. With rising energy costs, finding cheap ways to reduce energy-use is even more critical for homebuilders.

But homebuilders do not have to reinvent the wheel in order to build homes that use significantly less energy. The technology already exists today and can easily be incorporated into home …