Energy requirements for homes have soared recently given that electricity rates are at an all time high. It is the reason that green energy has become common in many aspects of our daily lives, including home design. With the rising cost of living, homeowners are looking for ways of minimizing energy costs. One area that homeowners can take advantage of concerning energy cost reduction is house design. This article provides tips to explore for energy efficient homes. Notably, DIY enthusiasts can implement some of the insight provided; however, other energy efficient home designs require professional renovation contractors for proper implementation.

Pick a Paintbrush

How many times have you gone to a friend's house and found that they cannot stay in some rooms with the lights off? My guess is many times. When designing your home, the choice of paint plays a critical role in how much energy you would need to light up the rooms. For energy efficient rooms, choose bright colors over darker ones since the latter does a good job at reflecting the sun's natural light during the day as well as the moon's light during the night. In the end, you will eliminate your dependence on high-wattage lamps for every room, even the one at the furthest corner of the house.

Exterior Lights with Motion Sensors

Other than aesthetics, home designs must factor in security because no one would want to live in the most intricately designed house that has zero security features. Installing exterior lights helps to keep you safe during the night, but it comes at an expense because the lamps need to be on throughout the night. By installing security lights that only come on when motion sensors are triggered, you save on energy costs while not compromising the security of your property.

Skylights

Skylights are worth considering if you want to lower your energy costs. In most cases, skylights are installed in rooms that do not have windows to allow in more natural light. However, regardless of whether the room has windows or not, the inclusion of a skylight in your home design eliminates the need for air conditioning, especially during the warmer months. In addition to being energy friendly, skylights also allow you a great view of the sky. In essence, you incorporate efficiency as well as aesthetics in a single design feature of your home. Further, you can customize skylights depending on color preference.