New York State ranks 5th highest in the U.S. for average monthly utilities. A significant amount of these costs are due to heating your home in the winter months, which may seem like an inevitable factor that’s impossible to get around. Luckily, there are many options to reduce your monthly bills and your home’s carbon footprint at the same time, giving you the best of both worlds. Natale Builders has multiple solutions to keep your home warm in the winter, and they are compatible in some combination for any family in West New York.
There are three main factors to look into when considering eco-friendly ways to heat your home:
- potential for low emissions
- efficiency of use
- cost of installation and maintenance
It’s nearly impossible to find an option that will fulfill all three of these criteria simultaneously, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get pretty close in at least two of them, or all three if you consider the cost over time. Most of the greenest and most efficient systems are unfortunately expensive in terms of cost up front, but will pay for themselves over a few years. (The impact on your environment, though, is immediate.)
1. Geothermal Heating
The most eco-friendly and efficient option for heating your home in the winter is geothermal heating. These systems work by utilizing pipes buried in trenches around your home, which hold water that absorbs heat directly from the ground. A pump then forces the water throughout your home via a typical HVAC system in order to maintain a comfortable temperature. This process works in the summer months as well, operating in reverse to force hot air into the ground and cool your home.
The only downside to geothermal heating and cooling systems is the high cost upfront. Keep in mind that this method of temperature regulation can cut your monthly utility bills by up to 65% compared to traditional HVAC systems, which means the investment will pay for itself in a short amount of time. Natale Builders has installed more geothermal systems than any other builder in West New York, and comes already built into the beautiful Messina, Verona, and Mulberry home models.
2. Solar Heating
Another way to augment an HVAC system to heat your home is solar heating. The technology of solar panels is constantly being developed to increase their efficiency and ability to gather and store energy for longer periods of time, so that you’re not relying on a sunny day to keep your lights on. When combined with a geothermal system, your home has the potential to operate on a closed loop with zero net waste. This could very significantly reduce your monthly bills so that you’re barely paying DTE anymore, if at all!
3. Fireplace Heating
A third method, and possibly the cheapest way to heat a room is by using a fireplace. Not only do they look great and add to the ambiance of your living space, but fireplaces also have the potential to further decrease your utility costs, as well as operate in an environmentally neutral and efficient manner.
Whether your fireplace is powered by natural gas or traditional wood, both are preferable (by “Green” standards) to traditional HVAC systems or electric heating. Natural gas is responsible for the least emissions of all fossil fuels, and the environmental cost of burning wood is relatively low due to the carbon absorbed by the tree while it was alive. While neither fuel source is as green as solar powered or geothermal heat, they are steps in the right direction towards ending our reliance on systems which use energy from crude oil or coal.
Stay Warm & Green This Winter With Natale Builders
Whichever path you decide is right for your family in terms of ways to heat your home in the winter, know that Natale Builders has you covered. With over 50 years of experience designing and building ENERGY STAR certified homes utilizing various combinations of the systems described above, you can trust that our solutions will operate efficiently after the highest quality installation in New York State.
Contact us today to start designing the green home of your dreams!
