One concern for many people is doing what they can to help the environment. If the Earth is to be preserved for future generations, people at every level of society will have to do their part. This should even include homeowners. If you are planning on building your own home or renovating one, one thing you can do is design a sustainable modern home. Below are a few strategies to deploy.
Window Choice
In regards to creating a sustainable home, the choices you make in regards to windows are some of the most important. If you care about energy conservation, you should actually have large windows facing the sun. In many cases, the larger, the better. This is due to the fact that the rays of the sun will help to heat those rooms in question. This will even be the case during the winter. As such, you’ll have to rely less on a furnace or other heating options. You should also be extremely careful about weather stripping around windows. You need to trap in as much heat as possible with no gaps that can allow it to leak outside. Double glazed sliding windows will be the best choice as far as trapping in heat and saving energy.
Contracting with an Architect
Designing a modern home that is actually sustainable and environmentally friendly is not easy. In a lot of cases, designing such a home requires a lot of technical and scientific knowledge regarding building and engineering that most laypeople will not have. If you want to make the process more foolproof, you should really contract with an architect that has a history of creating functional sustainable homes and buildings. Choose a company that creates modern home plans that are green and sustainable that can then be implemented by a builder to create the sustainable home of your dreams.
Energy Star Appliances
What you fill your home with is quite important as well. In regards to the appliances, you choose to purchase, go for ones with the Energy Star label. Energy Star is a program that was introduced by the Environmental Protection Agency that tests and certifies appliances for their energy efficiency. Models that save a significant amount of energy versus industry standards, often 20 to 40 percent, will receive an Energy Star label. There are a wide array of products that have been certified to carry the Energy Star label. This includes things like washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, coffee brewers, ovens, refrigerators, freezers, boilers, air conditioners, televisions, computers, digital media players, and much more.
Renewable Energy Use
If you want to be serious about just how environmentally friendly your home will be, you can’t truly reach sustainability without the use of renewable energy in your home. The classic choice is, of course, utilizing solar panels. You can do so by installing them on your roof or lower to the ground in a spot that receives unobstructed sunlight. A newer choice you may want to consider is the installation of photovoltaic panels. This is actually a newer variation of solar panel technology. It uses solar cells that create energy when the rays of the sun hit semiconductor material and loosen the electrons in that material. Other options include implementing wind turbines, solar ovens, hydropower, or even the construction of a Tesla power wall.
Reclaimed Materials
What your home is physically constructed out of matters a great deal as well. If you really want to lessen the construction of your home’s impact on the environment, choose reclaimed materials when building it. In many cases, reclaimed materials are just as good as new and can also save you a lot of money on building costs simultaneously. Reclaimed wood flooring, for example, will look just as nice as new wood flooring if finished properly. Oftentimes, reclaimed materials come from old homes and buildings that will eventually be demolished. Utilizing those materials ensures that they do not go to waste.
Creating a sustainable home will not be a simple project. Instead, it will take a lot of planning and a lot of technical knowledge to pull off. Partner with professionals that can help your dream become a reality. If you make the right choices when designing your home, you can indeed greatly lower your family’s carbon footprint.
