Ekotrope within the home: How homeowners are saving time, energy & money

Whether planning for a new build or undergoing renovations, home upgrades can often be stressful, time-consuming and costly for homeowners. But now, through building analysis technology like Ekotrope’s software-as-a-service, important home design and component comparisons can be calculated quickly. Building decisions that typically take weeks or months to analyze can be calculated within a matter of minutes, and up-front, before the construction phase even begins.

Ekotrope helps homeowners evaluate different design options to identify the best choice, offering more return on investment (ROI) and less monthly out-of-pocket costs. To do so, the software evaluates any initial costs, operational fees, and energy consumption associated with each alternative. For example, with Ekotrope, homeowners can compare solar panels against upscaling windows or other energy upgrades. In turn, homeowners get a full view of their home’s composition, in addition to payback periods and long term ROI associated with a sustainably-designed home.

A few months ago, homeowner, well-known actor and environmentalist Ed Begley Jr. used Ekotrope to analyze and maximize the energy efficiency and cost effectiveness of the ground-up construction of his new sustainable home in California. Begley and his wife, Rachelle, worked alongside architect William Hefner and Ekotrope consultants to review cost versus benefit analysis for all building components, including: lighting; solar panels; insulation; windows; roofing; and more.

While Ekotrope may be used by many developers, architects and constructions firms within the building industry, homeowners can also benefit from such complex, insightful, and quick comparison analyses. In a short video documenting the Begley’s use of Ekotrope, Begley says, "I was always hoping there would be a one-stop shopping database to quantify those decisions and see which is best.” With Ekotrope, this is possible – all at the instant click of a button.

For more information on Ed Begley Jr.’s implementation of Ekotrope within his newly built home, please watch a video here. For more information on Ekotrope, please visit our website today.