Figure 1: Original Graphic representing energy loss in a
home compared to a home incorporating sustainable design
In new home construction today, sustainable design is becoming a much more prominent aspect of the overall home design. While the initial building costs will be higher, these costs will be recovered to some degree through energy savings over the lifespan of the home. Existing home owners, however, have been left behind in the area of sustainable design. There is no question that a large majority of these homes are not energy efficient, but challenges exist when trying to bring these homes to a higher level of energy efficiency. There are a number of challenges homeowners encounter when trying to renovate their homes with a goal to include sustainable design. These include, but are not limited to, lack of awareness of how to identify existing problems, how to address these problems, and the overall cost involved. As in many cases, the amount of money the homeowner can afford to spend is limited, the question, therefore, is which minor renovations should be done on an existing home resulting in the most cost effective energy savings?
To assist homeowners in identifying existing energy inefficiencies, it will be necessary to identify the main types of energy losses which occur in existing homes. Once these have been identified, the research will focus on applying different methods to minimize these energy losses. A case study home will be used and with the use of energy modeling, different scenarios will be analyzed. By analyzing these scenarios and the accompanying energy data, the most efficient renovations can be determined. Once the renovations are determined, a cost benefit analysis can be done which will provide a balance between the most energy efficient and the most cost effective method. The next step in the process will be providing instructions for the homeowner on how to implement these methods in the renovation of their home.
Since every home is different, the research will be broad enough to apply to all existing wood frame construction homes. The research will be presented in a manner that will enable the homeowner to easily pick out the areas of sustainable design that will benefit their individual home and provide information on how and where they can purchase the necessary materials needed to accomplish the renovation.
In conclusion, the research will ultimately provide an information booklet outlining how to identify areas of the home that need to be improved due to energy losses, which renovations will provide the most energy savings and how to complete these renovations in the most cost-effective way.
