Sustainability refers to the ability to support or maintain a process continuously over time. In policy and business contexts, sustainability seeks to prevent physical and natural resources from having negative impacts so they will remain available for a long time and for the betterment of future generations, according to Investopedia.
We hear a lot of terms like “going green” and “eco-friendly” these days, even in commercials, talk shows, and product packaging. Eco-friendly means earth-friendly or not harmful to the environment. And this term most commonly refers to products that contribute to and create a healthy and green lifestyle that reduces waste and helps conserve water, energy, and other resources.
Sustainable and green home features are not exactly new. Building and creating a sustainable home is not just what interior designers or anyone can do, it is one of the new opportunities for you, and it also means contributing to improving the development of the environmental performance. And building a sustainable house and having an eco-friendly home design concept not just reduce the negative impacts on the environment but also reduce the costs of running your home, minimize waste, save water, energy, and maintenance on appliances and systems.
When building a sustainable house, there is a lot to consider, from the building materials, energy and environmental design, and solar power, if everything is energy efficient. And when you have a sustainable house, you create a healthier environment for yourself, your family, your pets, your community, and even your bank account. The key element to achieving home sustainability across the life of the structure is Energy efficiency. What we build matters, and so does how we build it.
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Home Design, such as eco-friendly sustainable homes, is becoming increasingly important as we consider innovative and new ways to minimize the environmental impacts. And more than just a trend that we can see in augmented reality, sustainable design is becoming the future of home design for a lot of homes! And you can achieve sustainable architecture without the help of architects, interior designers, or professionals and without harming the environment.
Home design, green design, sustainable design principles, and every design process, building construction, and material selection, such as operational and maintenance practices, are the basic objectives and are crucial to the overall outcome of your home’s efficiency. But there are also other design considerations and elements when planning the details.
Making small improvements to increase sustainability at home can have a big environmental impact!
A passive solar design is one of the energy and environmental design and sustainable production systems in which, in order to create more efficient spaces, passive design takes the existing environment into account. It captures energy from the sun to help cool and heats your living spaces. And without the electric and mechanical materials and equipment, it relies on building materials that absorb, reflect, or transmit the sun’s radiation.
For architects, interior designers, and builders in the sustainability space, it is about for more. Taking advantage of thermal mass to keep a home’s temperature is key.
You can work with your orientation to maintain a comfortable temperature and take advantage of natural light in your home. A passive house requires less energy to heat and cool.
To cut energy usage, install high-performance windows. And when building a sustainable house, consider new technologies that include special coatings, air-tight construction, double glazing, and nonconductive framing materials and high-quality.
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You can also choose your window choice according to the climate you live in. For cooler climates, triple-glazed windows and designs are best to eliminate drafts. While for warmer climates, you can opt for double glazing and low solar gain windows.
Replacing windows makes your home more energy efficient, protects your belongings and more materials from fading, and makes and create your room quieter.
The biggest energy consumers in your home are appliances. in home design, you also need to think of the right choices for furniture and appliances. And when furnishing your new sustainable home. Appliances with high energy ratings might be more expensive, but they will also save you a lot of money in using and it is more energy efficient.
In-home design and one of the sustainable design principles, painting or the color of a room or a house is also one of the important things you should look into. Eco-paints are one of the environmentally preferable products you can use with other materials to improve indoor environmental quality. Eco-paints also reduce negative impacts on the environment. And you can use eco-paints that emit fewer toxins to paint any room or your sustainable house. It is also less toxic to manufacture, and it improves indoor environmental quality, such as indoor air pollution.
You can design things and create your room and home bright and colorful from your creative ideas and inspiration with the use of eco-paint. You can achieve what you want for your home without harming the environment.
Choose what is sustainable and what is better for your room, home, and the environment.
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The cool roof reflects the sun’s heat instead of absorbing it, which can also help to have a cooling effect on your home.
You can create new things out of your ideas and upcycle everything that still has functional needs and can still be used in the future and saved during the building construction. And instead of sending the materials with residual value straight from the landfill, you can save them and sell them.
There are different approaches, materials, concepts, and sources of energy that you can use to have and achieve a sustainable home. You can use it to power your home with solar panels that generate electricity. Solar panels are more energy efficient. And by opting for energy sources such as solar, you may have a clean source of energy that emits fewer carbon emissions than nonrenewable energy consumption such as fossil fuels.
If people have their own needs, your home also has its own needs, such as lights aside from other materials. And to have a long and full life cycle of your lights fixture, switch up with LED bulbs, for it has greater energy efficiency and much less toxic metals. And they are an easy way to increase sustainability at home.
LED lights are becoming more and more common as an energy-efficient home design feature.
Opting for local materials in your new sustainable house will lessen the need for shipping. The availability of materials will vary depending on where you choose to build your house. It is not just about the layout. It is also important the materials you will choose – durable, lightweight, prefabricated products like cross-laminated timber that bring thermal benefits to a building and its building performance and can speed up the construction.
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Credits to: Wooden Utensils
For architects who are passionate about sustainability, sustainable materials are a game changer to lessen the use of nonrenewable resources while still can incorporate energy and environmental design.
Do not let all the rainwater go to waste. Install downspouts and roof gutter that direct the water to a tank for reuse. This water can be used to water the garden or flush your toilets. Depending on the area, rainwater can also be used for drinking if you filter and purify it. Sustainable homes need a smart manner of dealing with water.
The most sustainable thing you can do in construction is to build something you love. Build a home that you will cherish, treasure, and love. Build a home that your family will love. Build a home in which you are proud. Build a home that will not harm the environment and for the betterment of future generations.
It is your home! Build a house that makes you truly happy.
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