More and more homeowners are now aware of the benefits of energy-saving. That’s the reason why an increasing number of people want to adopt a lifestyle that is more respectful of the planet.
It is perhaps a big reason why people are making eco-conscious choices when they’re remodeling their homes. Opting for sustainable construction means choosing an ecological and healthy home, but that’s not all. Building or sustainably remodeling a home also means saving money, especially in the long term, reducing the energy bill.
What are the Objectives During a Green Home Remodel?
Green homes are built with the aim of:
- The main aim of a green home is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It achieves it by using renewable energy sources that release less pollution into the atmosphere.
- The next aim is to achieve energy savings by implementing measures that save as much energy as possible. Likewise, adequate measures are implemented so that heating systems, lighting, and domestic hot water production offer optimum efficiency and consume minimum possible energy.
- Lastly, guarantee the health of the inhabitants by using non-polluting and non-toxic building materials.
How to Remodel Your House in a Sustainable Way?
An ecological house above all focuses on its energy consumption and limits it to reduce adverse environmental impact. Therefore, you must design it to keep the energy requirements to the minimum and opt for more sustainable and renewable energy resources.
It seems too daunting to some and too expensive to others, but it’s something we all have to work on to preserve our environment.
Transforming your house to green, ecological, and environmentally friendly is not as cumbersome as you think. A green home remodel project is relatively easy to implement with far-reaching and potentially beneficial effects on the environment.
Innovations and technology offer us the means as well as practical solutions while increasing the overall value of your home.
Choose Ecological Materials
A green home remodel project starts with material selection. If you want to build or remodel your home in a green, sustainable way, your choice of materials should be eco-friendly as well.
Therefore, choose materials that are renewable and not detrimental to the environment. The advantage of ecological materials is that they are good for health besides being good to the environment.
Their composition does not involve any harmful substances, and their production process does not release any toxic agents into the environment. You can also opt for materials manufactured locally. This way, you can limit the harmful impact on the environment due to transportation.
Ensure Proper Insulation of the Walls, Roof, and Floor
Limiting your energy consumption saves you not only a lot of bucks but also the environment. Unchecked energy consumption is indeed the most significant contributing factor in the deteriorating environment, global warming, and exhaustion of energy resources.
In terms of the total expense, a significant portion of the energy consumption generally amounts to heating. Insulation, therefore, plays a crucial role in energy saving. Insulate your walls, floor, and roof properly.
Not only will it allow you to keep the cold outside, but the heat generated will have no outlet to escape. You will need less heat, thus reducing your energy consumption. It will thus reduce harmful emissions and your energy bill. Quality insulation is like an investment that can pay big.
Implement Solutions that Save Water
A green home should have enough arrangements to save water. If you are planning a makeover for your bathroom, install a tap and shower head that allow less water to flow.
This way, you can avoid unnecessary wastage of water. Similarly, if you can, avoid the bathtub as it requires too much water. Instead, opt for a shower – a choice that is both economical and ecological.
In a typical bathroom setting, a bathtub consumes more than double the amount of water as a shower.
Opt For Renewable Sources of Energy
Our current energy production methodologies still rely heavily on burning fossil fuels and, therefore, degrade the environment extensively. Instead, you can opt for energy sources that are abundant in nature and do not impact the environment.
For households, the most suitable renewable energy source is the sun itself. If you want to build or renovate your home in a sustainable way, you can choose to produce your own energy – by installing solar panels or a solar boiler, for example.
This will immediately reflect in your electricity bill, which will be significantly lower. However, if you plan to go ahead with solar panel installation, you have to plan it right. First, it will be wise to determine whether or not your home receives sufficient sunlight to produce full power or electricity.
Ensure Sufficient Natural Light in Your Home
To limit your energy consumption and to save energy, you can take the opportunity of your green home remodel project to install more inlets for natural light – a window, for instance.
More natural light in your kitchen or living room will ensure a brighter interior, so you don’t have to switch on lights all the time. The abundance of natural light will brighten the environment and keep it warm – particularly beneficial in winter.
Now you may need artificial lighting at a certain time of the day. However, with your home basked in natural light for most of the day, your energy consumption will likely be lower along with your electricity bill.
Ensure Ventilation to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Green or not, it is pretty essential that your home is well ventilated. If the outside air is polluted, the air indoors is more so. There could be several different reasons, prolonged exposure to harmful products, persistent humidity, bad habits of the occupants like smoking, and, of course, lack of ventilation. Not just that, ensuring ventilation is a great home remodeling idea to increase resale value.
Nevertheless, poor indoor air poses serious health risks ranging from respiratory issues, allergies, persistent headaches, etc. Keeping the indoor air fresh is therefore imperative for a healthy environment.
One way to achieve it is through an efficient ventilation system. For a well-insulated house, a double-flow CMV ventilation system is the best. It prevents heat loss and restricts external pollutants from entering the home while still keeping the home well ventilated.
