Is Brick More Energy Efficiant?

How Can Brick, Stone, Block or Concrete Make Your Home More Energy Efficient ?

A home that is energy-efficient is actually healthier and more cost effective over time. Energy efficiency modifications in and around your home can eliminate or at least lessen the poor quality of air that’s brought in by various weather conditions and chemicals that are used in most of todays standard building materials… thank goodness more green building products are becoming more readily available.

One way to make your home more energy efficient is to pay closer attention to the building materials used in it’s construction or remodel and to the house design and layout itself.

In Australia, bricks have long been recognized as the most commonly chosen building materials. In fact, nearly 90% of the houses built in Australia are constructed using bricks and blocks. Because of the governments campaign to decrease energy consumption in all its forms, there are new building regulations put in place that require the newly constructed houses and businesses to be more energy efficient. I don’t remember what that new percentage is, but with that in mind… even in other parts of the world, there are a few things you need to know in order to come up with an informed and educated choice in your building materials.

I want you to think for a moment about the amount of energy that’s usually consumed in your home. Most people are really surprised to find out that the largest part of the home’s energy is used up in cooling and heating the inside spaces. Cooking and lighting, even when you put them together, comprise only a few percent of the total energy use in the whole house. That’s why we tell you that anything you can do which will help lessen the cooling and heating bills of your home will always be a good investment, ALWAYS!

The question then becomes, do you think it is possible to cut down on your cooling and heating energy consumption within the new or remodeled  home while keeping within a comfortable thermal comfort inside?

This is where passive solar home design comes into play.

Passive solar home and business design takes a better look at the energy coming from the sun ane how to use it to improve the home’s cooling and heating in a totally natural way. There are actually four (4) major principles in passive design that are easily understood and used to your advantage. These are (1) orientation, (2) insulation, (3) ventilation and (4) thermal mass.

Let’s take a look at them one at a time:

Full article is at this link: http://buildingsolarnews.com

Tags: building_solar_house, passive_solar_design