Green homes use water and energy resources more effectively than conventional dwellings. Waste production decreases in green homes. In a nutshell, they want to protect the environment while lowering residents’ operating expenses. Green homes are typically more cost-effective in the long run, despite costing more to purchase than conventional residences. Making an educated choice when purchasing a home will be aided by your knowledge of green homes and their advantages in terms of health and price.
The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) created a rating system for green homes in response to a rising concern for sustainable living in India. A consensus-based system can be used to create homes that are effective, healthy, cosy, and environmentally responsible.
Greener homes are now a popular choice among home builders. No matter how eco-friendly anything is, there must be at least an attempt to go in the direction of healthy living. Building green homes doesn’t even come at a high cost, or, at the very least, involves some appealing, budget-friendly green home products.
Features of a Green Home
The majority of energy-efficient homes, whether new or old, have the following characteristics:
- Solar Panels
One of the best characteristics of the majority of energy-efficient homes is solar power. By directly converting sunshine into power, solar panels can help you become less dependent on fossil fuels. Your energy costs may go down as a result of this.
- Ecologically sound materials
Eco-friendly building materials should be used to construct an energy-efficient home. Less energy is required to produce eco-friendly materials in the first place. Additionally, they contribute to maintaining a clean, green environment.
- Improved Lighting
Replace incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient LED bulbs.Incandescent lamps waste a lot of energy. In actuality, 90% of the energy they consume is transformed into heat rather than light. On the other hand, LEDs are not only more energy-efficient but also live up to 25 times longer, so there is no reason to continue using incandescent bulbs.
- Organic Garden
The aesthetic appeal of your home can be enhanced by planting a variety of native plants, which can also provide you with extra organic food. If you live next to a highway, you can even grow spider plants to reduce the pollution caused by moving traffic.
- Digital Thermostat
An automatic thermostat can make a huge difference in your home’s energy efficiency. New developments in smart home technology allow for the detection of occupancy and subsequent temperature control in your house.
Advantages of Eco-Friendly House
Throughout a building’s life cycle, eco-friendly construction entails the use of resources-smart, environmentally conscious materials and procedures. Due to their numerous benefits over non-green buildings, which span from environmental to social and economic, green buildings have experienced a boom in popularity after being long rejected as being expensive.
Low Cost of Operation and Maintenance
Unique design elements are incorporated into green buildings to guarantee the effective use of resources like water and energy. For instance, green buildings greatly minimise the amount of power needed in lighting systems by utilising task lighting strategies and lots of daylight; this enables customers to save up to a third of their water and energy costs. Reducing operation and maintenance costs will greatly boost the income of building owners who get rent from their properties because these expenditures can make up as much as 80% of a building’s lifespan costs.
Improves the Quality of the Indoor Environment
The quality of the indoor environment is influenced by the conditions inside a building and how those variables affect its occupants. Lighting, ergonomics, climatic conditions, and air quality are some of these factors. A good interior environment is one that safeguards the inhabitants’ health, lowers their stress levels, and enhances their quality of life. Green buildings do this by using materials that are less likely to emit harmful substances into the environment and by installing operable windows that let in as much natural light as possible.
Improved Health
Due to the security of the building materials employed in their construction, residents of green buildings benefit greatly in terms of their health. As an illustration, environmentally conscious construction firms stay away from plastic by-products that have been shown to produce harmful compounds. Significant breathing problems are brought on by toxic compounds like carcinogens, and cancer risk is also increased.
Lessens the demand on local resources
Locally shared resources like water and energy experience significant demand as the population grows. Green buildings can relieve this burden by utilising tools and techniques that improve their users’ water and energy efficiency.
Improved environment
Green buildings help to keep the environment clean by using fewer energy sources that harm the environment, including coal. They also help to slow the rate of climate change by reducing the amount of pollution released into the atmosphere.
Tips to make your home Green
Modern homebuyers, particularly the millennials and Gen Z, are becoming more accepting of the idea of “green homes.” These homes have numerous advantages, including a healthy lifestyle and significant water and electricity cost reductions.
Here are some easy and not-so-expensive tips to make your home green and efficient for the environment.
- Whenever feasible, insulate the loft using natural or repurposed materials.
- Purchase recycled-material furniture.
- Select wooden windows over PVC or aluminium ones. Wood helps maintain the cold air inside the building because it is a natural insulator.
- Opt for water-based paints rather than oil-based ones.
- Utilize and recycle used water.
- Gardens and solar panels can be installed on terraces and roofs.
- Aim to use natural light as much as possible during the day.
- Use rainwater harvesting, a relatively easy method of preserving rainwater.
Eco-friendly homes are an excellent choice for anyone who wants to lessen their influence on the environment. It is the best choice for our general health as well as the environment because it produces less waste and relies more on natural and organic materials.