Building Your Eco-Friendly House: Techniques And Ideas
Building an eco-friendly house is essential now more than ever due to the vastly changing ecosystem. An eco-friendly house will bring benefits, not to your health alone but also to your mind and spirit. Building an earth-conscious home is both energy-saving and money-saving; it is also a great option because it helps preserve your living environment. The green building market is one of the fastest-growing businesses globally. It records an increase in LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified projects in the United States from 296 certifications in 2016 to 69,066 certificates by 2019. Learn the most innovative techniques and ideas to build or transit to an earth-conscious home in this article.
What does building an eco-friendly home mean
The definition of an eco-friendly home is not a one-size-fits-all (i.e., different people see it differently). Some people’s perspectives on eco-friendly homes include additional features like solar panels on the roofs of the house. In contrast, some other people believe that only a place with LEED certification is eco-friendly. This is where power extension cords come in; many overlook them when transiting their home from transitional to earth-conscious homes. Great news, you don’t have to sacrifice your comfort anymore trying to keep the world safe; there are built recyclable electrical equipment such as heavy-duty extension cords, power cords, etc., nowadays. Whatever your perspective on the topic is, making a sustainable home offers numerous benefits to you and your environment.
6 Ideas and Techniques to build an eco-friendly house
1. Location is important
Finding a suitable environment to build your home is just as important as constructing it. Firstly, you should stay on top of the situation, find out if the location where the house you are buying or building is safe from natural disasters such as earthquakes, severe storms, hurricanes, or floods. Little details such as transportation also matter; less use of your vehicle to commute to places such as markets, places of worship, etc., will go a long way in conserving the planet and keeping your environment sustainable.
2.The importance of insulation
A home with a poor insulation system may eventually use more energy than it needs, which is not eco-friendly. To avoid heating and cooling issues at home (i.e., heating and cooling at home account for about 50% of energy consumption), it is best to install a high-quality insulation system that should also last long. Keep in mind that it is best to invest your money into getting a proper insulation system; otherwise, you will have to spend a ton paying for electricity bills due to humongous energy consumption.
3. Lightning
In the past, incandescent bulbs were used; although they were cheap, they didn’t last long and used a lot of energy which is not great for an earth-conscious home. Now there is the invention of LED and CFL bulbs which cost a little more than the incandescent bulbs but last longer and use less energy. The light fixtures you install in your home are also quite important when it comes to energy consumption. EnergyStar certified bulbs have a record of using less than 75% of the energy that incandescent bulbs consume, may last 25 times longer, and keep you from spending $135 during the bulb’s lifetime.
4. Recycle items
Resist your urge to buy the newest things, learn to recycle, or use recycled products. Consider the source of some products before using; see below a list of ideas for recycling items to use
- Raw materials such as reusable wooden doors, wooden floors, aluminum, plastic, glass, etc.
- You can make your roof using rubber recycled products.
- The decking of your home can come from wood waste.
- You might have paper countertops at home; if you do, then use tree pulps from the forest that are recycled to make them.
- You can have your carpets made from recycled plastic bottles.
5. Opt for water-saving fixtures
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that one out of three people experiences water scarcity and difficulty getting purified water. Building an eco-friendly home with water-conserving fixtures that allow for the low flow of water when you need it and the right amount you need can help save the earth’s water. For example, kitchen and toilet fixtures are now evolving to electronic faucets, which control the amount of water running and ensure water is running only when needed.
This report from EPA.gov states that 10,000 gallons of water are wasted from the accumulation of leaks (i.e., dripping faucets) from households each year. You can help preserve water by installing quality fixtures in your home to prevent leakage. Conserving water for earth-conscious homes cuts down your water bills and expenses; buying washing machines, in the long run, helps save water too.
6. Install Solar Panels
Solar panels are fast-rising technology made to preserve planet earth and utilize the natural source of power on earth (i.e., the sun). Solar panels collect energy from the sun based on your home location and how well you have constructed the solar panel. However, solar panels may be expensive to purchase at first, but they will save you a massive amount of money in the long run. By buying a solar panel, you will conserve the earth and your energy consumption; alongside, there are government grants, incentives, and tax breaks that you can benefit from, as someone who wants to purchase a solar panel for their home.
Conclusion
Building an eco-friendly home helps you save money and prevents you from wasting resources contrary to what you might have thought. Earlier in the article, it was mentioned that people have different perspectives on the definition of an eco-friendly home. Regardless of how you define it, building an earth-conscious home preserves the world. You might have overlooked some of the tips from this article in the past, but you must know that every tip counts; no matter how small you might think it is, the information shared will positively impact your environment.
