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The Many Efficiencies in New Construction

December 20, 2019
Published by Garrette Custom Homes

One of the appeals or purchasing a brand new home is the fact that there won’t be any costly surprises, such as leaking roofs or water heaters that die the day before a major holiday. Plus, new homes, such as the built by Garrette Custom Homes, feature some of the latest in design trends, as well as the option to customize elements to meet your tastes and needs. However, one of the perks that may not always get as much attention is the efficiency with which new homes are built.

Garrette Custom Homes works hard to make your home work hard for you, which ultimately means a cleaner, more efficient, and more cost-effective home. Old homes have old, dirty duct systems, appliances that aren’t as efficient as newer models, and often lack the latest in building methods that make for a home with fewer leaks and better insulation. Garrette Custom Homes focuses on numerous details, down to making sure the ductwork and furnace are clean of dust and debris before closing, ensuring they’re clean for move-in day. They also use high-efficiency furnace air filters to filter out dust, pollen and particles, creating a healthier indoor environment.

Keeping your home properly insulated and leak/draft-free is another vital component to an efficient home. With Garrette, All ductwork seams are completely sealed with mastic, and are air-pressure tested for leakage. This lowers your heating/cooling costs by not losing air to the outside, attic or crawlspace.

Another area you may not consider, but is certainly important in the PNW, is performing a moisture test on the framing prior to the installation of drywall. This is an important step in reducing moisture within the walls. Garrette goes as far as to hire an outside agency to ensure compliance.

With winter’s arrival, there’s nothing better than cozying up in front of the fireplace. You can feel confident doing so, because the natural gas fireplaces in the Garrette homes draw out and exhaust all combustion air to the outside, maintaining good indoor air quality.

When it comes to the heat pump water heaters, you can feel confident that they are highly efficient and receive high energy saving ratings. Much of this stems from the fact that the heat pump moves heat instead of creating it. It absorbs heat from the air surrounding it and transfers to the water in which it is then stored.  Moving heat is much easier than creating it, making these hybrid heat pumps up to twice as efficient as standard and tankless electric water heaters.

The homes also use R-49 attic insulation, which reduces heating and air conditioning costs, and is also earth friendly. The insulation is essentially made from sand refined down to make a fiberglass product that is one of the most energy efficient products on the market. The energy used to produce it can be made up often in less than a year through the energy cost savings.

On top of all of this, the company also uses high-efficiency gas furnaces in which 95% of the gas used is converted to energy for your home. High efficiency furnaces are quieter and more efficient. The homes also include ENERGY STAR®-rated windows to save energy and increase comfort, reducing UV rays while still allowing the sun to shine in! Of course, all water faucets are Energy Star approved and water-conserving, helping to lower water bills.

At the end of the building process each and every home is third-party performance tested for moisture, duct leakage, and whole house leakage. This means each of the has met exacting standards to ensure your home will run smoothly and efficiently and keep your energy costs down for years to come. With Garrette Custom Homes, you get beautiful, quality homes that are efficient and truly comfortable.

Categorized in: Build on Your Land, Community Info, Fall Tips, Floorplan Tips, Home Decor Tips, New Home Tips

This post was written by Garrette Custom Homes