Electrical 

Double check your appliances.  Energy efficient appliances can save energy and save you money.  Technology advances often improve the overall performance of the product. For instance, horizontal axis clothes washers save energy and water and also clean clothes better. Estar reports online can get you appropriate info. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.

Plug electronics into UPS outlets to protect them from electrical surges, or surge arresters at least.  A UPS outlet is a circuit that is wired to an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) in the basement.  It moves the unit out of sight and provides flexibility and automatic protection for the devices attached.

Set electrical up to support

a.       Panel A: Optional – Grid fed

b.      Panel B: Critical – well, freezer, furnace

c.       Set up for generator "PV"  feed to panels

Electrical related suggestions.

• Run conduit from basement utility into attic (4” PVC) easy to run through walls when building and makes future runs a breeze
• Run conduit outside for future outbuildings
• Instead of using speaker wire (expensive), buy standard, (cheap) long extension cords from your local home improvement place, cut the ends off and make the runs with them.  They give superior sound quality and are inexpensive and well shielded.
• Put exterior outlets on each exterior wall (N-S-E-W) North South East and West.
• Metal exterior vent covers (hvac, air intake for fireplace, masonry stove, range, HRV, bath vents and so on.  You need to plan your openings before you pour the walls (boxed in using wood – knock the wood out later)
• Locate switches just inside all doors – redesign your layout if you can’t fit a switch right next to the door.  In our case, we ended up not being able to fit a switch right next to the basement bathroom door once the cabinets were installed.  Moving the basement wall a few inches south would have solved the problem.