5 Tips to Build an Eco-Friendly Home

Buildings account for approximately 40% of total energy. It’s the reason many home buyers are switching to sustainable alternatives. Eco-friendly homes are one of them. These green homes consume less energy, save costs and reduce their carbon footprint.

If you’re planning to reduce your carbon footprint, follow these simple tips to build your eco-friendly home.

1. Consider Location

The first step to building an energy-efficient, sustainable abode is to factor location into your decision. Location is the key to building a green home.

• Consider access to public transportation because you can reduce a considerable amount of carbon emissions by taking public transportation.
• Be mindful of the direction you’re building your home in. West-facing houses are warmer.
• Consider sensitive locations such as flood zones, earthquakes, or hurricanes. Some locations are environmentally-sensitive to natural calamities. Keep weather complications into consideration.

2. Consider Smaller Home

Smaller homes are better in that they require fewer resources in construction. Although you can build a large eco-friendly home, the number of materials used in construction can be expensive and wasteful.

Be clear about the space you need, and don’t build your home in excess. Smaller homes are sustainable, less costly, and reduce carbon emissions. Make sure the size is as large based on your need and not more than that.

3. Consider Energy Source

One of the important considerations in building a sustainable home is to make sure energy consumption and production are efficient. Solar panels are commonplace in green homes because they use renewable energy.

They use solar energy to generate electricity to save energy costs using renewable sources. You can eliminate monthly bills by powering your home with solar energy. However, be mindful of the size of solar panels and your home’s location.

Fact: many government-initiated programs incentivize solar power systems through tax benefits to offset the cost of installing solar panels.

4. Consider Lighting

Traditional light bulbs aren’t efficient. It’s better to switch to CFL or LED alternatives because they consume significantly less energy. They also last longer, which further makes them a sustainable choice. They may cost slightly high, but they offer savings in the long.

5. Consider Insulation

Do you know 40% of energy is lost because of poor air filtration? It’s important to seal the gaps and insulate your home properly. Or else you lose the whole purpose of sustainable building and construction.

Any minor gap around the window or door frames causes air to leak out of the house. Insulation is the solution to air infiltration. With proper insulation, you can ensure energy-efficient consumption. It closes up any penetration or opening in the ceiling and walls.

Fiberglass is the cheapest and most common form of insulation, but it’s also the least effective. Spray insulation foam is another way to ensure all the gaps are filled. The bottom line is that the type of appropriate insulation depends on the climate you’re in.

Are you ready to build your sustainable home? At GH Builders, we offer green home construction services. We also offer green home designs so you can build your custom eco-friendly home from scratch in the USA. Contact us today or check out the variety of home designs that we offer.