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It seems like you can’t turn on the television, go online, or open a newspaper today without being confronted with some horror story about climate change. Nowadays, “going green” seems to be on everyone’s lips — the hip new thing for saving our planet.
But for all the talk — and all the hype — there’s an importance, and an urgency, in today’s turn toward sustainability that is very real. “Greenification” is dramatically impacting business and industry, government and politics.
For all the influence today’s environmentalism may have had on public life, however, it can feel like the private home is far removed from the climate change debate and the push forward sustainability. In reality, however, the market has witnessed a significant turn toward eco-friendly home construction in recent years, especially among millennials. But what is sustainable home construction, and what might it mean for your home and business?
A New Vision of Home
At its core, sustainable home construction simply means embracing different priorities when you plan and build a home. Instead of focusing on luxury amenities and the most coveted materials, the emphasis is on the “circular economy” mindset.
In other words, a sustainable home that is built with a “circular economy” mindset is a home that gives back. From the construction of the house to every year spent living in it, the house will in some way give back to nature, the environment, or the consumer, for whatever resources it uses.
Some of the most common features of the sustainable home built on this model would include the installation of solar panels for energy generation, the incorporation of recycled materials in construction, or the use of composting toilets to reduce water consumption. With measures like these, the family home becomes, in essence, a nourisher of the environment, rather than a drain on it.
What Difference Does It Make?
Of course, this vision of sustainable construction can sound a little too good to be true. Whether you are a construction business owner, or you are looking into buying or building your own sustainable home, you may be wondering if the benefits are really going to be worth all the time, effort, and money.
The short answer is yes. But only if it’s done right. The Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities recently built a prototype for the first completely zero carbon footprint single-family home, proving that a wholly environmentally-friendly home is, indeed, possible.
However, it’s not likely that many of us will have the ability or the willingness to go quite that far anytime soon. Still, there are a number of easy and affordable steps you can take now to incorporate sustainable practices in your construction business or your own green(er) home.
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Mind the Furnace
A home’s heating system can be one of the most energy-devouring, emissions-spewing features in the entire house. Substituting inefficient electrical heating systems with a modern, energy-efficient heat pump is essential to sustainable construction.
In addition, if you’re the homeowner, ensuring that your heating system is subject to regular maintenance can help you reduce costs and avoid expensive system repairs and replacement. It will also ensure that you are detecting defects that might cause harmful pollutants to leak into the air or soil.
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Shed Some Light on It
Another important strategy in sustainable construction is to opt for energy-efficient lighting. Standard light bulbs can consume up to 80% more energy than their new EPA-approved, energy-saving counterparts. Not only that, but these energy-efficient bulbs can last up to 25 times longer, which means less waste for the landfill!
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Turn Off the Water Works
Excessive water consumption is one of the environmentally destructive things we do in our daily lives. However, with a bit of strategy, sustainable home construction can virtually eliminate water waste. For instance, the installation of tankless water heaters, energy-efficient washers and dishwashers, and water-conserving toilets, you can rid your sustainable home of its biggest water hogs.
The Takeaway
Sustainable home construction isn’t a fad or a flavor of the moment. Whether you’re looking to build an eco-friendly home or to incorporate sustainable practices into your construction business, the options in green home construction are vast and growing. Eco-friendly homes are more efficient, cutting energy costs and reducing waste.
But they’re even more than that. Sustainable homes are a tangible way to give back to the environment and all who depend on it, a way to protect the air, the land, and the water that gives us life. Best of all, as engineers the world over continue to develop and perfect sustainable home technologies, the options, choices, and affordability will only grow.
From heating and lighting to water consumption and materials recycling, home can not only be where the heart is. It can also be where humanity’s hope for a healthier, happier planet resides.
