Have you ever considered just how many potential combinations of insulation and energy-efficient materials there are? Wondered how many ways you can improve the R value of your home and increase the retention of heat and cold through your attic? Pondered how to best build greener, more efficient custom homes or ensure that when you do renovate, you use green remodeling best practices?
If you’re like most people, you probably never think about those things until you’re on the spot, and then the sheer number of options either drives you to make choices at random or terrifies you too much to choose at all.
Ekotrope is a software system that changes all of that. It can improve your new homebuilding or remodeling project by creating a custom, efficient insulation and energy management plan for your home.
What Is Ekotrope?
Ekotrope is software designed by MIT scholars that compares the benefit and cost implications of thousands of potential insulation and energy management products for new homes or remodeling projects to determine the exact combination that offers the best of all worlds. Designed by aeronautical engineering specialists, it was released in 2009.
What Does Ekotrope Do?
Ekotrope helps homebuilders, designers and homeowners in several ways, but the two most important ways are by a) estimating accurate energy costs over time and b) assisting in developing energy and insulation specifications that give you the best value for your money.
Knowing what a new home is likely to cost you in energy use over time is critical to long-term budgeting, and it’s something many new homeowners don’t consider when calculating home maintenance and carrying costs.
Relatively small changes to the material specifications for insulation and energy efficiency in your home can add up to big savings over time.
Why Use Ekotrope in Your Home Build or Remodel?
As a homeowner or a client building a new custom home, you can get the benefit of the Ekotrope software by working with a company that uses this software to develop energy-efficient and insulation specifications for their new homes. By improving the R value of your home, you will save on energy costs over time. You’ll also enjoy greater comfort, with fewer hot and cold spots in your home, provided the contractor follows the recommended specifications.
Where to Find a Builder or Remodeler Who Uses Ekotrope
The best way to know if your builder or remodeler uses Ekotrope and to make sure you have the most energy efficient home is to ask them during your initial conversations. When doing your home building research, energy should be a factor you consider. Ask your prospective home builders if they use the Ekotrope software when designing your home or remodeling your space.
When to Use Ekotrope
If you're building a new home you'll want to use Ekotrope to make sure your energy costs will be the most beneficial and save you the most money in the long term. If you’re remodeling or renovating an existing home, you can make sure the new areas of your home use the latest, most cost-effective, efficient materials and methods so that you can get the benefit of better efficiency in the new and renovated areas of your home. Finally, if you're looking to save money and make your home more environmentally and energy efficient, use Ekotrope to help get you the best for your money.
Since energy costs comprise up to 30 percent of the cost of running your home per year, any way you can improve energy efficiency will save you a lot of money over time. Choose a contractor that uses a system like Ekotrope, and every few years, the savings will pay for a trip somewhere sunny!
