Whether you’re building or remodeling a home, you should aim to make it as sustainable as possible. This is because green home design not only helps you maintain a healthier lifestyle, but it also raises your home’s property value. Of course, you should also feel good knowing that you helped the environment and everyone who lives in it.
Today you’ll find a lot of philosophies and materials to choose from here – so many that your choices may feel a bit overwhelming. As you start making these decisions, make sure you remember the principles behind these homes.
Energy Efficiency
One of the biggest ways to improve the environmental footprint of your home is to reduce how much energy you use for cooling it. With this in mind, here are some design tips you should adhere to here:
- Since small homes don’t use as much energy. Therefore, only build a home that’s as big as you need then use creative design tips throughout it to increase your living space.
- Build your home in a location whereby nature will help you save energy (e.g. southern exposure helps solar panels work better).
- Include a lot of insulation in your home’s walls then weatherize and air-seal your home.
- When purchasing appliances, make sure the label says ENERGY STAR.
- Only use LED light bulbs.
- Strategically plant trees around your home so you get both shade and protection from the wind.
Water Conservation
Many people predict that water shortages will become a huge issue throughout the world during this century. Your green home’s design can help you make the best use of its water while also saving you money on your energy bill – using less water means you need less water to pump and heat the water. Here you can:
- Install low-flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets.
- Choose a water-efficient washing machine and dishwasher.
- Buy high-quality components for all your plumbing needs. Make sure you service them on a regular basis so they don’t leak.
- Minimize the water use around your home by using smart irrigation controllers, rain barrels, and native landscaping.
Green Materials
Choosing construction materials that are eco-friendly not only ensures you have a green home, but that you and your family are healthy. When choosing construction materials for your green home you’ll want to make sure that they are:
- Produced locally
- Recycled or repurposed and can also be recycled in the future
- Sustainably grown and produced
- Energy efficient
- Non-toxic
Designing Your Green Home
It’s important to remember the “seventh generation” principle here. Although you can’t honestly expect everything you use in your home to last for 7 generations, you want to choose things that will last for a long time so less material makes its way to the dump and your home doesn’t have a huge eco-footprint. As you make these plans, make sure you also think about any future upgrades such as solar panels and electric vehicles. By creating your home in a way that makes it easy to install these things in the future, you’ll save money and expedite the process when the time comes to make such upgrades.
Conclusion
When you’re ready to put a green roof on your home, there’s one company you can trust to adhere to all these principles: Avatar Roofing has been helping people in Tampa, Florida with this for years. They’re a name you can depend on so give them a call today.
Picture Credit: VistaCreate