Do you intend to build a new house? According to Forbes, you must guarantee that the house you now will assist you in saving money in the future while preserving the environment. It’s your duty to construct an eco-friendly house to take care of mother nature. With a new catastrophe striking a part of the globe nearly every week, it’s unbelievable that most people are still ignorant of the impending threats of global warming.
Whereas it’s practically nearly impossible to shift to a more sustainable lifestyle fully, the small steps and effort often count. Eco-friendly houses aren’t only for individuals constructing personal properties. An increasing number of contractors are nowadays building eco-friendly villas and apartments.
Here’s a guide to building an eco-friendlier home if you’re one of the few individuals who care about sustainability:
1. Leverage Solar Energy Solutions
Solar energy is one of the renewable and clean sources you can adopt to make your home eco-friendlier. Nowadays, solar panels are a surfacing and smart technology that allows you to leverage the free and natural power all around you, the sun. Initially, acquiring a solar panel may seem costly, but in the long run, it’ll save you money and help you adopt a sustainable lifestyle.
To maximize the full potential of solar panels, you need an experienced solar energy contractor to place the panels strategically to harvest power from the sun. Therefore, unless you’ve some experience installing solar panels, you should engage a professional. Ultimately, by taking advantage of solar power, you can significantly lower energy consumption in your home and shift to an eco-friendlier energy source.
2. Use Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs
Lowering the energy you consume in your home for lighting, whereas enhancing light in your household, is a vital aspect of zero energy homes. LED bulbs are perfectly suited for this purpose as they use energy more efficiently, don’t have mercury, and are durable. Additionally, LED bulbs can provide your home with different lights, from soft, warm light to extremely bright light, depending on your lighting needs.
Ultimately, choosing the right LED bulbs for all the lighting needs and positioning lights strategically can dramatically lower your home’s energy consumption. Consequently, this will help you create an eco-friendlier home.
3. Leverage Sustainable Construction Materials and Features
Are you keen on constructing an eco-friendly home? Start by leveraging eco-friendly building materials, which can lower the environmental pollution. All home parts should be eco-friendly, including the cabinets, roofing materials, floor insulation, and counters.
Fortunately, there are different renewable materials, including recycled glass, lumber, plastic, or natural materials like cork, linoleum, and bamboo, to build an eco-friendly home. Another recently discovered material you can use is “green facade.” Ultimately, such greener materials to build your home will give it an eco-friendly touch and feel.
4. Use Water-Based Paints
Opt for water-based paints with natural pigments if you’re planning to paint a newly constructed or give your old home a new look. Presently, most paints for home decor are oil-based and, therefore, not environmentally friendly. That’s why you should consider using water-based paints instead of oil-based ones to create an eco-friendlier home.
5. Install Sufficient Insulation in Your Home
Insulating your house will increase heat retention, implying that you’ll require less energy to maintain heat in your living area when needed. Although this may seem insignificant, it’s one of the smartest strategies you can leverage to save energy and money and ultimately create an eco-friendlier home.
Common areas to insulate properly include your home’s walls and the roof. Additionally, you should consider installing insulation around your house windows to keep your interior warm, thus using less energy.
6. Opt for Wooden Window Frames
Whereas double glazing can help you save energy, the UPVC surrounds connected to such windows often release toxic compounds, making them unfriendly to the environment. Therefore, wooden window frames offer an eco-friendlier solution and are long-lasting. So, why not opt for wooden frames instead of double glazing?
Final Word
Nowadays, building an eco-friendly home is paramount with the increased awareness of the need to shift to more sustainable and eco-friendly home construction methods. Therefore, you can leverage this guide to help you create an eco-friendlier home.
