Tips for Building an Eco-Friendly Home
Building an eco-friendly home improves our lives and reduces negative impacts on the environment. By definition, an eco-friendly home is designed, built and fitted out using recycled materials, smart technologies and renewable energy sources that reduce its environmental impact and energy needs. A home where comfort goes hand in hand with practicality.
Currently, the construction sector represents half of American energy consumption.
Ecological homes reduce consumption
To reduce waste and make our homes more comfortable, there are materials, technological devices and innovative solutions that can help us reduce our energy bills. If you’re looking to build new homes or upgrade existing ones, keep these tips handy:
The choice of materials
You can opt for natural materials, including certified wood, which should be produced by qualified companies. To insulate your home, you can choose natural materials such as rock, cork or mineral wool. Ancient materials like hemp, lime and clay are making a comeback thanks to their characteristics and performance.
Renewable energy devices
Today, the price of photovoltaic installations is much lower than a few years ago, due to a greater supply and higher efficiency. The combination of photovoltaic panels and solar thermal technology would constitute the best solution for heating water for domestic use. As for the evolution of solar cells, they now collect more energy since their batteries can store what they produce and release it when necessary. This is useful for reducing energy consumption and keeping it available even when there is no sun.
Heating and air conditioning
If your house is still being designed, it is recommended to choose an underfloor heating system, which can reduce convective heat transfer and consumption for heating in winter. For cooling in summer, it is recommended to choose air/air or air/water heat pumps, which can be powered by solar panels. Also consider that frames, doors and windows help insulate your home from temperature swings.
Paint can also help reduce consumption and increase energy efficiency thanks to nanotechnologies and molecules, including silicon and titanium oxides.
Home automation
Smart meters, electronic monitors and controllers, cloud technology. Thanks to home automation, you can measure actual consumption and intervene if necessary. Available services work together intelligently to help users save energy and reduce water consumption.
Renovation of existing houses
The future of the construction industry also lies in the renovation of buildings, from simple apartments, to residential buildings and entire neighborhoods. Architects, engineers, companies and construction contractors have joined forces to disseminate this concept. This is particularly the case of the Canadian company Alias Architecture which specializes in the field. Opportunities and offers are pouring in, you just have to take advantage of them.