Top 10 Tips To Build Environment-Friendly Home

The new trend of incorporating things that are environmentally friendly, or eco-friendly, into everything around us: According to various research studies conducted around the world, builders and homeowners are now incorporating green building practices into home construction and building. It is not necessary to spend a lot of money on solar panels and energy-efficient appliances; smaller changes can be made, and these cost-effective methods are even time-efficient.

10 Tips To Build Environment-Friendly Home

Let us look into the various possibilities to help build an environmentally friendly home:

1. Introducing indoor greenery

Green plants and greenery in their entirety can easily elevate one’s mood and can also induce positivity in the environment it's placed in. By introducing green plants to your indoor space, you can start breathing in the fresh air and stay away from having any breathing-related problems. This takes away the need to add air purifiers to the home. If you have a larger indoor space, you can also think about getting dwarf trees and more kinds of flowering plants, which help decorate your home as well. Taking care of plants is indeed a responsibility, but by doing so, you are getting one step closer to a better environment. 

2. Build Smaller

It was once fashionable to construct homes that were extremely large and could only house a small family. This is the exact case where energy efficiency is not even considered. Building tiny homes using eco-friendly construction techniques is the best way to ensure that you adapt to environment-friendly steps. Small homes do not have to limit your space but choose a design that gives you the necessary space while also limiting areas that are not actually necessary. Smaller homes save money in the long run by lowering energy and maintenance costs and thus increasing affordability.

3. Get LED

There has been intensive advertising urging the public to switch from normal bulbs to LED ones. Do not think of this as a marketing gimmick; it indeed brings down the amount of energy used and can bring down your electricity bills drastically. Replacing incandescent bulbs is the best way to save money in the long run.

4. Use environment-friendly paint

Yes, paints can also be toxic to the environment and to your entire existence. The paints that you usually use in your home have the capability to project emissions that can hamper the air quality inside your home. The strong smell that comes from the VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, can mix with the air and create long-term health effects. It is fitting to use paints that are zero or low in VOC. These paints can be a little bit more expensive than ordinary paints, but they keep your health and your surroundings free of toxins. 

5. Solar Panels

Even when we say that keeping in-home solar panels is expensive and way over the budget, integrating them into your lifestyle can bring about drastic changes in your overall energy consumption habits. The idea of solar panels has to be incorporated into the building plan right from the start. This is because only when it is initiated from the beginning can you make provisions to keep it in an ideal position of light and geography to get maximum utilization. Governments all over the world are encouraging the public to keep solar panels by providing subsidies. But keep in mind that if your overall energy consumption is less than a certain amount, it is not very sustainable to reap returns from solar panels over a long period of time. 

6. Adding sustainability to every area possible

Sustainability has become the key in many areas, and indeed, looking into it can help you understand different areas where you can improve and introduce eco-friendly replacements and solutions. Considering using wood, bamboo, or linoleum for flooring frames is a good starting point. Wood and bamboo are two materials that can be replenished, and linoleum gives you the promise of longevity as it lasts for more than 40 years. Modular homes adapt to sustainable activities, which actually result in using all the materials at their maximum capacity and thus reducing the amount of waste that is created to construct one home.

7. Cooling your roof

It seems like a far-fetched idea, but it can make a lot of difference in the amount of energy consumption. Using materials that help to reflect sunlight on the roofs is a fitting ideal if you want to bring down the amount of heat inside the room. Slate, terracotta, metal roofing, etc. are some of the few examples that can be used to reduce energy consumption in the home. These green options are a little bit more expensive than the other options, but they can help you do your part for the environment. There are other pocket-friendly ways to bring down the heat reflected by making roof areas plant beds. Plants are allowed to grow between the roofs and help insulate rainwater, which also prevents water from going directly into the sewer. This practice was normally seen in commercial buildings but is now being enthusiastically adopted by resident owners as well. 

8. Conserve water

This can be a very common thing said and taught to us in schools, and indeed, it is of great importance, as there are many places in the world that are bound to face a water shortage in the next few years. Harvesting rainwater is one such way to conserve water. Putting up the provisions for collecting rainwater and storing the tank must be considered from the beginning of the home's construction. Using water faucets that do not let out much water and such small things can be considered while purchasing the equipment at home. 

9. Get eco-friendly furniture

The modern trend these days is to find furniture and other such fixtures that are made out of upcycled materials. Most of the premium brands are now supporting the cause and coming up with innovative ideas to incorporate recycled materials into their lines of furniture. Old wood is recrafted and made to fit the tastes and furniture styles of the new age. 

10. Harnessing new forms of power

Solar power has been synonymous with renewable energy for a long time in every household. To take an equally valid example, homes are increasingly incorporating geothermal energy into their design. Geothermal energy is an upfront investment, but the advantages that it can give your home are that it can maintain a steady temperature according to your needs.

These are just the icing on the cake, and there are many layers to how you can adopt energy-friendly methods when building your home. A good amount of research and understanding can help future generations take advantage of all the possibilities that we have today.   

Greentech builders are the prominent builders in Kochi and have been providing consistent quality in the work they produce. They are synonymous with providing timely delivery with far fewer discrepancies for their customers. Greentech also has a good team of professionals who will assist you in getting the home of your dreams while making every effort to make it environmentally friendly.