If you are building a home, there are ways to make it energy-efficient:

• Orient it so the long axis runs east and west. Limit west-facing windows.

• Use high performance windows, suggests Janet McIlvaine with the Florida Solar Energy Center, so those in the sun will block heat transfer.

• Provide shade with porches, overhangs and landscaping.

• Insulate the attic. ''That's in the sun all day, so use attic insulation, a radiant barrier or a reflective roof color,'' says McIlvaine.

• Buy the most efficient appliances possible, beginning with the air conditioner. A SEER of 14 is generally the most cost effective.

• Use a solar water heating system or a gas-powered tankless water heater.

• Buy an energy-efficient refrigerator.

• Use compact fluorescent lighting. The bulbs begin at $3.85 for the equivalent of a 60-watt bulb that uses one-third the energy, produces 75 percent less heat and lasts 10 times longer than an incandescent equivalent.

• Plant trees on the south and east sides of your home, says Jack Parker, in the environmental studies department at Florida International University. The east walls receive more solar radiation than the west side because there are usually more clouds in the afternoon. Exposure of the east allows heat to build up in concrete into the afternoon due to thermal lag, Parker says. In addition, the canopies of mature trees should almost reach the house.

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