Energy Efficiency = HUGE Savings

Home Energy Efficiency is a powerful element to consider as part of your personal financial planning strategy. The US Department of Energy and HUD have predicted a 14.5% annual increase in home fuel costs over the next 10 to 15 years. We've seen it happen already this year.

The following chart from the US Department of Energy shows the math and it’s easy to see where 14.5% compounded annually takes us. Energy Efficiency is the most brilliant approach to dealing with this compounding problem.

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An Apple Home Will Cut Your Home Energy Costs By At Least 50%!

As you can see below, if you slash 50% off your annual energy bill as it escalates, you can save a LOT of money. Even if your monthly heating/cooling cost is currently only $50 per month, in 15 years at current estimated increases, this adds up to $32,405. If your monthly bill is $120, it adds up to $77,772 that you'll be paying!

Imagine what you can do with 50% of $38,886. These kind of savings could well go into a college or retirement fund - or better yet, if applied toward your mortgage debt, could take years off your mortgage and save you additional thousands in unnecessary interest payments. (See www.mortgagefreeusa.com).

Make Money from the Power Companies

All Apple’s Homes come solar ready, making it easy to install solar panels. If you decide to go solar, and we strongly recommend it, the extra energy the you will generate beyond your household needs can be sold back to your local power company. There are several laws and tax incentives at the local and federal level that make solar power not only feasible but very attractive.

SIPs Energy Paybacks

There are six reasons why Apple’s SIP built homes have lower heating and cooling bills:

1. Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) achieve thermal ratings of between R-4 and R-7 per inch; batt and loose-fill materials are about half that.
2. With less wood, panels reduce thermal bridging (the transfer of heat into or out of a structure through a solid piece of lumber). A 16-foot SIP wall section with one 3 x 4-foot window contains 5 percent wood and 95 percent Insulation. The same wall framed with 2 x 4s 16 o.c. has 20 percent wood and a variable amount of insulation.
3. If not installed properly, batt insulation is susceptible to voids. Batts are either jammed into narrow cavities, improperly split around wiring or around electrical boxes, or cut too short or too long. In some remodeling jobs, insulation is removed, but not replaced. This problem is completely avoided with SIPs walls.
4. When SIPs are used as roof panels for vaulted rooms the steady state heat loss as calculated by WSU Energy Outreach is reduced by 21%, thereby creating an R-40 ceiling as opposed to a code ceiling of R-30 with batts.
5. Any air moving within a conventionally insulated wall or ceiling decreases the energy performance of batt insulation. When properly sealed, foam panels do not allow air movement.
6. Depending on proper installation and effective sealing of joints and openings, SIP construction lends itself to tighter-than-average construction. This is especially true when SIPs are used for both walls and ceiling because the systems are engineered to connect to each other easily and tightly.

Never Ending Hot Water + Significant Savings

You don't use hot water 24 hours a day. But, you're paying to heat water 24 hours a day. With a standard water heater, you heat and reheat the same water…even when you're sleeping.

A high efficiency tankless water heater is a vastly more efficient way to heat water. The tankless water heater installed in Apple Homes heats water quickly, delivering an endless supply of hot water for as long as you need it. Imagine being able to actually fill that jacuzzi tub! With our system of tankless hot water, you only pay to heat water when you need it and for as long as you want it.

To see an animation of how a tankless hot water system works, click on www.foreverhotwater.com and then click on the “see how Rinnai works” box on the right side of your window.

For a review of Hydronic System Specifications by Northwest Energy Star, go to the this link.

The ENERGY STAR® Program  

The ENERGY STAR® Homes Northwest program of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance brings the US Environmental Protection Agency’s nationally recognized and trusted symbol for energy efficiency to the Northwest.

As a builder of Extremely Energy Efficient homes, Apple Homes is proud to offer homes that are Energy Star Certified and have earned the ENERGY STAR label.

ENERGY STAR qualified homes need to be at least 15% more energy efficient than typical new homes in Washington. These homes feature high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, sealed ductwork (where hot airs systems are used), higher levels of insulation, and ENERGY STAR qualified windows, lighting and appliances. Go to www.northwestENERGYSTAR.com for more information.

As we've pointed out, Apple Homes can be as much as 500% more energy efficient than ENERGY STAR houses.  Each of our ENERGY STAR homes is verified by a third party and certified by the state to ensure that it meets these EPA energy performance standards. By offering ENERGY STAR qualified homes, we provide homes with many benefits, including:

• Reduced energy demands and lower energy bills - month after month.
• More comfortable indoor living environment.
• Peace of mind from third-party performance testing and certification.
• Homes with less impact on the environment. In the US, residential energy  use is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gasses affecting global warming.