But what exactly is a green home? A green home is an eco-friendly building. It’s constructed using environmentally friendly materials and resource-efficient processes. Green homes have recorded an uptick in popularity due to the many benefits they have over the conventional ones. Here are seven benefits of building a green home.
1. Cost-Effective
Green homes integrate exceptional construction features that facilitate efficient usage of resources like water and energy. For instance, they use task lighting strategy and take advantage of daylight to significantly lower the amount of energy required to provide sufficient lighting to the home. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), installing new solar panels is cheaper than a comparable investment in coal, natural gas, or other fossil fuel options. The cost of maintaining and operating a green building is lower compared to that of a non-green one. This frees up money that homeowners can invest elsewhere. Although building a green home may be a little costly compared to a non-green one, the low operation and maintenance expenses of eco-friendly homes make them much more cost-friendly over time.
2. Boost Indoor Environment Quality
Conditions in a building and their effect on the inhabitants determine indoor environmental quality. These conditions range from lighting and air quality to temperature, and ergonomics. Indoor environmental quality is considered good if it safeguards the health of the people occupying the building, minimizes stress, and enhances their quality of life. By using materials that are friendly to both humans and the environment and installing windows that let in a sufficient amount of natural light, green homes provide excellent indoor environmental quality.
Eco-friendly homes also have both indoor and outdoor plants. On top of adding a sense of freshness to a home, indoor plants also help improve indoor air quality by getting rid of impurities. Outdoor plants, on the other hand, enhance the property’s curb appeal. Take care of the plants and ensure they are getting enough light for growth. If you have a spacious room in your house that is otherwise not used, you can get a grow tent for your plants that do not get enough sunlight.
3. Energy Efficiency
Green buildings don’t rely on non-renewable energy sources like coal. Instead, they have solar panels to take advantage of solar energy and operable windows that let in an adequate amount of natural light. This design minimizes the utilization of artificial light. Home automation technology definitely serves the purpose of a greener home, and as such, definitely worth the investment.
4. Durability
A green home also enjoys a high level of durability. This translates into less work and costs for a homeowner. The building requires less maintenance and its components have a long lifespan. Some of the green home materials that enhance durability include:
· High-quality and resilient roofing materials. Some roofing materials have warranties that span 4-5 decades.
· Eco-friendly pest controls. This involves keeping termites and other destructive pests away by incorporating metal or plastic fasteners between exterior wood and concrete. New plants are also kept away from the building’s foundation.
· Recycled-content decking. Consisting of a blend of plastic and wood-waste fibers, this recycled decking is highly durable. In fact, it has up to five times higher longevity compared to traditional wood decking.
5. Water Efficiency
Water efficiency entails utilizing water resources in a way that conserves water and guarantees both current and future generations will have an adequate supply of clean water. Building a green home enables homeowners to utilize alternative water sources like rainwater, install state-of-the-art plumbing fixtures to reduce water waste, and install water recycling and purifying systems to reduce over-exploitation of shared water resources.
6. Lower Environmental Footprint
Due to its long-lasting nature, a green building reduces its environmental footprint considerably. A non-green building, on the contrary, has a shorter lifespan and its components such as roofing, decking, or carpet must be replaced occasionally. The old material ends up in the landfill, resulting in environmental degradation. The new material must be obtained, processed, supplied, and installed.
Green homes provide eco-friendly alternatives right from the first stage of construction. They adopt construction practices that reduce waste and recycle materials, facilitating efficient usage. Above all, they minimize emissions that contribute to climate change because they are built with energy conservation in mind. Furthermore, you can take your green home up a notch and invest in sustainable soundproofing materials that will keep the noise from going in or out, which will dampen the noise pollution.
7. Increased Market Value
With many homebuyers increasingly becoming environmentally conscious, the market value of green homes has tremendously increased. In fact,a 2017 industry study shows that green homes have greater resale values than their non-green counterparts. Many buyers also consider eco-friendly features as mandatory, allowing green homes to move faster than non-green ones.
Building a green home is not only an investment in the future of the present generation but also the future of the next generations. Green homes leverage eco-friendly construction methods that utilize resources efficiently and responsibly. So if you’re looking to buy a home or even construct one, going green is one of the best decisions you’ll ever make in your life.
About the author: Robert Beaulieu is a renovation consultant with a focus on sustainable designs. In his free time, he likes to read about new innovations in architecture and smart home designs. Right now, he is enjoying sharing his passions and expertise through his writing.
