With 2×6 exterior walls, a high efficiency furnace, energy efficient windows, and a thorough sealing of the building envelope, Legacy Homes meets – and regularly exceeds – standard building codes.
Once you move into your energy efficient Legacy Home, there are some simple steps you can take which will help further reduce utility costs, your carbon footprint, and excessive wear and tear.
● Use LED light bulbs. According to energy.gov, LED light bulbs use 75% less energy and last 25% longer compared to traditional incandescent bulbs. Your new Legacy Home will come equipped with LED bulbs in all light fixtures.
● Clean or replace air filters regularly. Dirty filters make your furnace and air conditioner work harder and run longer. Not only will that lead to less efficiency and higher costs in the short term, it could lead to costly repairs or affect the life of your HVAC units down the road.
● Avoid using your oven in the hot summer months. Cook instead with your microwave or outdoor grill to avoid heating up the inside of your home.
● Set your thermostat to 78F in the summer and 68F in the winter. Each degree of extra heating or cooling will increase energy usage 6% to 8%. Setting your thermostat to a lower temperature than normal will not cool your home faster. Also consider programming your thermostat for a higher temp in warm months and lower in cool months for times you will be away from home.
● Use your ceiling fan. Running your ceiling fan will allow you to raise your thermostat up to 4 degrees with no reduction in comfort.
● Set your refrigerator temperature to the manufacturer’s recommendation to avoid excessive cooling and wasting energy.
● Turn off the lights when they’re not in use. Lighting accounts for about 12% of a typical residential utility bill.
● Run dishwashers and clothes washers/dryers at night. This will reduce the output of heat during peak outdoor temperatures.
● Close your garage door(s). Your garage is not an interior space and is not insulated as such. Leaving the garage door open can allow an excess of hot or cold air to enter your home.
● Turn off kitchen, bath and other ventilating fans when their job is complete. Exhaust fans should certainly be used when showering, bathing, or cooking to help remove excess humidity, but leaving them on too long will suck away a tremendous amount of household heated or cooled air.
● Keep registers and returns clear of obstructions. To allow for proper air circulation, do not place furniture or draperies on or in front of registers and returns.
● Keep lamps, TVs and other electrical appliances away from the thermostat. Heat from these appliances is sensed by the thermostat and could cause your furnace or air conditioner to shut off too soon and restart frequently.
● Defrost your refrigerator and freezer before ice buildup becomes 1/4-inch thick to ensure your appliances are running efficiently.
