Energy efficienct homes new vs old.

Energy efficiency, now that is what we have been talking about for the last decade. So what makes a new home more efficient than an older home? Well lets see, alot depends on your climate, me I live in one of the hottest places in the United States, Lake Havasu City, AZ. here we are concerned with our extreme summer heat ( that reaches 115 to 120 degrees ) not our winter months as they are very mild. So when you talk about construction methods you have to consider your climate. Here in Lake Havasu we build new homes on slab foundations as opposed to a subfloor, you see here our plumbing & air conditioing piping are ran thru the ceiling since we don't face the threat of freezing weather. Cold climate construction runs on the theory that you must insulate all piping to protect from the winter freeze, but in Lake Havasu & dersert climates you are concerned with the heat and how to cool your home with the least amount of effort from your a/c unit. So if you look at the theory of keeping it cool then you need to understand what happens to heat in a home in Lake Havasu City. We all know that heat rises and when you are in a home the heat risies to the ceiling from there it enters the attic and then escapes out the roof venting. That is why one of the most important features in new homes is roof venting, ( to conform to the city standards is one thing but quality builders understand that the faster you remove the heat from the attic of the home the easier it will be for the a/c unit to cool the home, there for reducing the time the a/c unit needs to run. This proceedure can be accoplished in many ways but one that we have found to be very effective is two inch soffit vents. Soffit vents help force the heat up to the ridge & gable vents. By doing this you are forcing the heat out of the attic much sooner. So when you ask old home vs new construction I say there are many advantages that are built in todays homes that an older home just was not built with because of the type of construction methods they used to build homes many years ago. Think about it new homes have dual pane Low E windows & 2 x 6 framing. Just those 3 items in a home can save you a ton of money to maintain a comforable climate in your home when we are facing are extreme summer heat.