Green Home Building Techniques

As our planet begins to develop a greater appreciation for sustainability, and the effort of having less waste is a goal that is heavily prized, all sorts of companies are doing what they can to become apart of the green revolution. Even Wal-Mart is getting in on this push towards environmentally friendly practices. However, even though we all know that we should recycle, it becomes more complicated to be green when you are building something new, such as a house. However, there are all sorts of methods for sustainable home construction that are already in practice, as well as more that are sure to come. Here are some techniques for creating a green home…

Use effective insulation

We tend to use a good deal of energy in the homes that we live in. However, on average, roughly 50% of energy used in homes is spent for the purpose of heating and cooling the house. This is why many contractors are taking proper insulation into account when they begin to build a home. Being able to seal any air leaks through walls, windows, and doors will cut down on the amount of energy that you need to spend on utilities. Not only is having great insulation incredibly environmentally-conscious, it will also save you a good deal of money, as you can cut down hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars a year by reducing your energy costs.

Install green power utilities

As we stated above, homes can use a lot of energy in a year, between keeping it heated, cooled, lit, and powered. This is why there are many methods to cut down on the emissions that a house generates every year. Many contractors are offering services to install solar panels for energy, as well as geothermal systems to use energy from the heat of the Earth’s core. However, it isn’t all just about using fancy new forms of energy. Having a proper HVAC system that is free from leaks in the air ducts will also waste less energy, and you can use new light bulbs in place of old, incandescent ones.

Use recycled and renewable materials

While it may have once been difficult to build your home from recycled materials, due to a lack of supply, this is no longer the case. There are hundreds of companies who specialize in generating construction materials from renewable ones. On top of that, there are many strong materials that are cheap, as well as plentiful, such as bamboo and linoleum. You can do everything from insulate your roof and remodel your kitchen with sustainable materials that are either recycled, or natural and easy to recreate.

Powder coating, instead of paint

When it comes to the aesthetics of your home, one of the most environmentally harmful chemicals that we frequently use in home development is paint. Paint, especially spray paint, contains air pollutants called ‘volatile organic compounds’, which are bad for the ozone and are dangerous to breathe. Now, most paints we use to paint walls are not so bad, but using spray paint on metal and plastic materials in a home-in-progress will generate more VOCs, which are noted by the EPA as an environmentally damaging substance. Instead of paint, one way to get a much cleaner product, but without the harmful chemicals, is to use powder coating on certain home products. For more information about the environmental benefits of powder coating, check out this blog post here.

Be mindful of the home direction

This is, perhaps, one of the simplest ways that you can build a home to be more green and sustainable. Be mindful of the direction that you are building your home, as having more windows on the sides of the home that face west (or sometimes east) will reduce the amount of sunlight that is heating up the home. This help you spend less energy to cool your home, simply by controlling the placement of the construction.

Use space efficiently, rather than go bigger

One of the biggest impacts that building a home has on the environment is all of the energy that will be used inside of it. For this reason, many homeowners are looking for houses with less, but more efficient space. Simply making bigger houses means that you are spending more money to heat and cool every room, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is increasing the quality of life. Being smart about home design means that you can reasonably fit all of the luxuries of a mansion into the comfort of a cottage.

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Source: http://www.greenliving.nicehomelive.com/green-home-building-techniques/