With skyrocketing energy costs throughout the world and ever-depleting non-renewable resource stores, more and more homeowners are becoming conscious of a need to make inherent change in the way we choose to build our homes and design our lifestyles. Homeowners, whether moving into a new place, building a home from scratch, or simply wishing to renovate an existing home, can create, or re-create, an efficient and sustainable home and garden for green energy living.
Building to Maximize Solar Access
When building a home from the ground up, the homeowner is a unique position to take full advantage of both diffuse (reflected energy coming through a cloudy day) and direct sunlight and solar radiation. In the most ideal situation, a house should be set back on the southernmost plane with living areas and main windows facing north across an open space in order to maximize both sources of solar radiation. Efficient and sustainable windows feature quality frames and double paned or insulated windows, both built to allow the most solar energy in and keep it in.
Solar Power for All the Electronics
Solar panel systems are more cost and energy-effective than ever before. Today, a homeowner can easily retrofit a home to run entirely on solar power, from the electric stove to the water heater. To begin, the homeowner should calculate the house’s estimated energy needs in order to correctly gauge the necessary solar requirements. Checking with local government before building, and by building with proper safety rated panels, may even result in the homeowner’s ability to sell excess energy back to the power grid, making the solar powered house profitable in addition to being sustainable.
Replace High Energy Models with Low Energy
When either moving into a new house, or building from the ground up, the homeowner can essentially begin from scratch with replacing high energy appliance and energy systems with low energy choices. Riverstone luxury home builders, have implemented many options to decrease your energy bill, even in their luxury homes.This includes everything from inefficient air condition and heat pumps to high energy washing machines.
Plant a Garden
No matter where you live you can build a sustainable and ecological garden. Research local and regional vegetables and fruit bearing trees and consult local garden clubs on effective landscaping designs. Experienced gardeners can advise in the use of companion plants over chemicals for pest prevention use. Inside the house and along the patio kitchen herbs can be effectively grown year round. If properly designed, the sustainable garden can be productively used again and again without excessive renewal costs or material replacement. Homeowners should also find local sources for high-quality compost. Homeowners who use non-GMO seeds, will, after harvesting their vegetables, be able to save the seeds for future plantings.
Interesting Fact: Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants, which can grow up to 1 foot per day (Why Bamboo). If you are going to use a particular material for your flooring, choose Bamboo for the environment.
Install Rainwater Collector and a Water Tank
Reduce your water bills and alleviate the demand on municipal systems by building, or buying, rainwater collection tanks for your garden, and possibly some home use. Rainwater is especially effective for lawn and garden use as it contains more nutrients then filtered water with none of the added chemicals. If properly collected, 1 inch of rainfall on a 2,000 sq. ft. residential roof can generate as much as 1,250 gallons of reusable water. To store excess water, homeowners should consider building a water storage tank that can connect to the house’s water main. Houses in regions with frequent rainfall may be able to replace the majority, if not all, of their home water use with recycled and filtered rainwater.
Lucy Ells has a passion for the environment and loves helping others make this world a cleaner place. Lucy has a passion for luxury homes and believes you can have a beautiful home, while also making it environmentally friendly.