An eco-friendly home is one built in a way that has little to no effect on the earth or human nature. It is an environmentally friendly house that uses natural materials, and the architecture is focused on using renewable energy sources. It could also be anything that uses low-flow water features or large windows to allow in natural light.
Essentially, an eco-friendly home is one with environmentally cautious features and design. Because of the increasing climate change, custom home builders are not devising ways to make their construction as eco-friendly as possible. However, if you are also conscious of your impact on the environment and you would love to buy an eco-friendly home, this article details five design features to add to your eco-friendly custom house.
1. Solar Panels
Solar is great for your wallet; it is also an environmentally friendly energy choice. Installing solar panels is a fantastic way to cut down on energy costs. Interestingly, setting up solar panels has a much lower environmental impact. Unlike traditional power plants, professionals install solar panels on existing structures. For example, rooftops, parking lots, or on land fields. When you use solar power, you use less electricity generated from coal, oil, and gas; this lowers your carbon footprint and helps protect the environment.
2. Low-Emittance Windows
A low remittance window is another eco-friendly element that helps keep heating and cooling usage reasonable. Simply put, the Low-Emittance Windows (Low-E) have had a silver coating applied to The glass. The layer helps return the heating rays from the sun back to the source, allowing you to get much of the light you desire while keeping the heat from entering your home. As a result, low-E windows help to keep the house cooler without making it darker. It also reflects light in abundance, so you don’t have to keep the light bulbs on during the day.
3. Locally sourced Materials
Concrete and steel releases tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere every year, contributing to air pollution and climate change. However, using more locally sourced sustainable materials for construction helps reduce the threat to our environment. Some locally sourced eco-friendly materials include wood bricks, clay, bamboo, cork, coffee husk, newspaper wood, mycelium, plastic bricks, cob, and so on.
4. LED Lights
LED bulbs can produce the same energy as incandescent and fluorescent bulbs but use less power or watts, which means they have more lumens per watt. They also have a longer rated life. On average, they last over 20 years. On average, only one LED bulb would be thrown away for every five fluorescent or thirty incandescent thus reducing the amount of waste and pollution in the environment. LED lights also reduce maintenance time and cost. All of these equals saving green. For plant lovers, there are LED grow lights. These innovative and energy-efficient devices imitate the sun, giving off minimal heat and providing both red/blue light needed for the plant.
5. Green Roofs
When you imagine how much having a green roof installed does to the environment, you can’t help but ask why everyone doesn’t have a green roof. A green roof is more like having a garden hovering over your home, a kind of garden that absorbs rainwater, provides insulation, creates a habitat for wildlife, and provides an aesthetically pleasing landscape. The green roof also helps to increase well-being. According to a study, when people spend time gardening, they have improved self-esteem and mood. Therefore the time of maintenance on green roof gardens can consequently play a key role in increasing well-being.
If you’re thinking about building a nature-friendly home, the best you need is a custom house builder to help develop your eco-friendly dream home. Custom home builders allow you to be involved in the designing and building process of your home. This engagement will enable you to decide how your house looks while keeping the price relatively low. Instead of selling the house to you, a custom home builder constructs your home based on your specifications. In this case, you get to make most of the design decisions.
Final Words
Custom home builders are versatile and are your best bet when thinking of building a nature-friendly home. After rigorous efforts to develop their dream home didn’t pay off, many families have been forced to accept just any home. Thankfully, that can not be your story because you have all the information you need. Now get building.
Author: Bella Clarks
