When we were construction our "dream home," we had the resources to use our lifelong collection of desires, and the knowledge garnered from years of experience; my husband, the architect of our luxurious home, and myself, a past editor of a home magazine.
When the architect, James Mitchell, insisted we setup a hot water recirculating pump or "instant hot water" I opinion this was one luxury we could do without, as the dollar signs danced in my dreams while construction. When he told me it was a "green" thing to do, I made him explain. It turns out a hot water recirculating pump admittedly helps the environment by not sending a bunch of extra water down the drain. It works by circulating the water through insulated pipes delivering hot water immediately to where you need it.
Some of the other "green" institute concepts in the house include 3 foot overhangs on the eaves. It makes the house look more first-rate and luxurious, but it also helps with heat gain. We used natural materials wherever inherent such as wood and stone. Better for the environment and Better for our health.
We also used Sip panels in the timber frame construction. Sip stands for Structural Insulated panels. They are tremendously power efficient and very attractive. The panels have six inches of Styrofoam sandwiched between beautiful natural pine paneling on one side and plywood on the other. We put a light wash stain on the pine to maintain its natural color so it wouldn't "yellow" with age.
The house located on a steep hillside, gave us the occasion to use the stability of the earth's temperature to moderate thermal fluctuations. We live in a warm climate and this "nestling" into the earth keeps our air conditioning bill to a minimum as well.
With a million dollar view, we opted for lots of glass in the house, but our view faces north, so we are not branch to heat gain. We also made an investment in this luxury item by purchasing high E factor windows made from wood, not metal, which would escort heat or cold from the face into the interior.
One of the more expensive investments into "Green" living we made was the two Water Furnaces or Geothermal heat pumps. The technology has been around for awhile, but the higher initial investment keeps most homeowners from going this route. The lake that we live on provides the "heat exchange" for cooling in the summer and heating in the winter. Wells can be dug for this process, and less reliable, depending on your climate, are the units that use the ground for this heat exchange. Check out this website for more facts today:
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=geo_heat.pr_geo_heat_pumps
When it came to appliances, we went all out with the most contemporary power efficient models we could find. Those beloved front loading washer and dryers admittedly are great power savers. They use a horizontal or tumble-axis basket to lift and drop clothing into the water instead of rubbing clothes around a central agitator. Newly designed top-loading machines can be power efficient as well, be sure to look for the power Star before purchasing. Faster spin speeds, two-three times faster while the spin cycle, citation more water from clothes thus reducing dryer time and power use.
Looking for the power Star is important when seeing for other types of appliances as well. Viking, Kitchen Aid, Asko, Wolf, Sub Zero and Bosch are all name brands that you should be able to find power efficient. While you might be able to afford those higher power bills, luxury trends indicate consumers are seeing for Better technology that is eco-friendly. By selecting power efficient technologies, appliances and taking steps to optimize the doing of your heating and cooling equipment, you are helping to prevent global warming and promoting cleaner air while enhancing the ease of your home. It's the moral thing to do.
