Custom Home Building: Energy Efficient Features Perfect for Minnesota Winters

When you decide to build a new custom home from the ground up, it’s a smart idea to include energy efficient features to keep your home comfortable and your utility bills low. 

In a state like Minnesota, the winters are cold, with temperatures that can drop below freezing. Most people are used to their utility bills rising during the winter, but with the right energy efficient features, you can save money and still have a warm, cozy home. 

Building a custom home in Minnesota with Bigelow Homes means you can choose certain energy efficient features. We’ll help you design and build your dream home in Minnesota all while saving money on your future utility bills. 

Read on to see some of the best energy saving upgrades for your home. 

Triple-Pane Windows

Windows are one of the top places that heat can escape in the winter. Triple-pane windows are an excellent choice for your new custom home. 

Starting out with the best windows can help you avoid expensive upgrades later on. Triple-pane windows with low emissivity (low-E) coatings and argon gas offer superior insulation for your home. 

In addition to quality weather stripping, your new windows will help reduce heat transfer, keeping warm air inside the home rather than leaking out. 

High-Performance HVAC Systems

Choosing the right HVAC system for your new home can help improve energy efficiency and keep your utility costs low. 

When it comes time to choose a furnace, always pick a high-efficiency furnace with a 95%+ AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency). 

This rating will ensure your furnace is effectively utilizing fuel (whether gas or electricity) to keep your home warm. 

Smart Home Thermostats

In addition to high efficiency HVAC systems, you should include a smart thermostat to help regulate the temperature in your home. Smart thermostats can learn your routine, be programmed to fluctuate temperatures throughout the day, and you can control them remotely through an app on your phone. 

It’s possible to see utility savings just from switching to a smart thermostat! 

Airtight Construction

When building a new home, choose high-quality materials and building practices to ensure your home has airtight construction. Advanced framing techniques help increase space for insulation and reduce thermal bridging, which is when heat flows through a space due to the presence of materials with higher thermal conductivity. 

In addition, insulated concrete forms (ICFs) for foundations and walls provide excellent thermal performance. 

Superior Insulation

High R-Value insulation, such as spray foam, fiberglass, or rigid foam boards help minimize heat loss throughout your home. Each insulated area should be tightly sealed to eliminate air leaks as well. 

Attics, basements, and crawl spaces are the biggest culprits when it comes to heat transfer out of your home, so ensuring those areas are properly insulated will help keep your home warmer in the winter. 

Plus, insulating floors and the basement or crawl space will keep your floors from being too chilly in the morning. 

Energy-Efficient Doors

To help reduce heat transfer, include energy-efficient doors in your new home. Choose ENERGY STAR-certified doors with insulated cores to prevent drafts. Coreless doors are less expensive, but they will not help keep your home comfortable. 

The best materials for energy efficient doors include fiberglass, insulated wood, or composite materials. 

Build Your Dream Home in Minnesota With Bigelow Homes

When you choose Bigelow Homes to design and build your custom home in Minnesota, you’re getting 40 years of experience backed by superb customer service!

We can help you find an available lot in one of our many Minnesota neighborhoods, where you can put down roots and grow your family. 

All of our neighborhoods are located in up-and-coming cities where you can get a small town feel without being too far from the big cities. 

Request more information today or call us at 507-529-1161 to talk to one of our experts.