How to Go Green When Building a New House to Save Money and Reduce Environmental Impact

Everyone knows the importance of being environmentally conscious and taking active steps to reduce our carbon footprint and the impact of global warming on our planet. If you are building a home, you can adopt quite a few methods to become environmentally friendly and save money in the long run. A quick look at some of the top ways of building a green home:

Focus On the Location

You must not build a west facing home because then you can reduce the amount of sunlight falling on the house, which helps to keep your home cooler and reduce your cost of running air-conditioning equipment. You should also avoid areas prone to floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes to avoid costly insurance premiums and the cost and hassle of repairing your home every time disaster strikes. Situating your home in an area with plentiful public transportation and nearby schools, markets, shopping centers, and entertainment opportunities can keep the cost and effort of travel down.

Build a Compact House

While you may be tempted to build a grand home to impress your neighbors, a smaller home suited to the size of your family is invariably better in terms of construction cost and maintenance cost. A large house is costlier to keep clean, in good repair, and to cool or heat. According to design consultants at www.konnectbuilding.com.au, you can also use locally sourced eco-friendly construction materials to reduce your environmental footprint.

Be Energy-Efficient

Energy cost is easily among the biggest expense heads, especially if you live in a place with extreme weather. Heating and cooling your home can account for as much as half your total energy cost. You must pay attention to the insulation because air leaks around doors, windows, and ducts can lead to significant heat loss. If bright sunlight falls on the windows, you may consider fixing reflective film on the glass to keep the inside cooler. You can install energy-efficient HVAC equipment and kitchen appliances to significantly save on utility expenses and help consume less fossil fuel energy.

Use Sustainable Building Materials

Make using eco-friendly materials and products your priority when building your new house. Ensure that the building materials, roofing, insulation, furniture, flooring, etc., are all made of sustainable materials to reduce the environmental impact. Look for local suppliers of reclaimed lumber, recycled glass, and plastics, and try to use natural, renewable, and biodegradable materials as much as possible.

Install Solar Panels

Solar energy production at home is fast becoming affordable and practical. If you live in an area that receives a lot of sunshine, you can consider installing solar panels on the rooftop to reduce your dependence on grid power for lighting, heating, and cooling. The initial cost is high, but you make it up over the long term with sustained savings. According to Forbes, switching to LED lighting can save a lot of energy.

Conclusion

If you look around there are countless more opportunities in and around your house to reduce your carbon footprint and save money. Concepts like rainwater harvesting, tankless water heaters, water-conserving fixtures, programmable thermostats, efficient landscaping, etc., can all play a significant role in making your house green.