Sustainable home building is on the rise with the market expected to reach $103 million by 2023. It’s even expected that by 2030, worldwide efficiency measures could make savings of up to $410 billion! With climate change and global warming at the forefront of important policies at this time, it’s no wonder the market is growing.
Using energy-efficient technology to make your home sustainable will not only help you but also the planet as well – win-win! Whether it be sourcing clean, green materials or using innovation to help reduce your home’s carbon footprint, every little bit helps. For more information on how technology is driving sustainable home-building solutions, read on.
New Options for Energy Source
MIT Technology Review has recently released a report that predicts that energy demands for cooling will be tripled by 2050. With climate change getting worse each year and increasing temperatures across the world, this should come as no surprise.
But that doesn’t mean the bite of the winter chill will be stopping overnight; in many areas with established seasons, heating is just as important as cooling. And what is needed in order to cool or heat a home? Energy.
So, what technological advances are available to create an energy-efficient home? There are several options available to you. The first and most common option is solar panels.
By harnessing the energy from the sun’s heat and light, solar panels can convert this to be usable for anything from heating and cooling to powering the oven or hair straighteners.
One of the great things about solar panels is that it actually saves you money! Using solar experts such as Blue Raven Solar, you can become a powerhouse of clean energy! And, unlike fossil fuels and other non-sustainable energy sources, solar energy is – in essence – unlimited.
The sun will be shining for many billions of years yet, and harnessing its energy is one of the smartest things you can do in sustainable house building.
But that’s not the only option available. In fact, the more of these ideas you take on together in your home design, the more you can save energy!
Another option is ground source geothermal heat pumps. These take the naturally occurring heat from underground and pump it around the house. It can even heat the water!
This one might surprise you, but have you ever considered a household-sized small wind turbine? If you live in a particularly windy area, generating electricity via a wind turbine might be the right choice for your smart home.
Smart Material Choices for Temperature Control
If you’re building a home from scratch, one of the best things you can do to create an energy-efficient home is to make smart choices about the materials you use. More specifically, it’s about the materials you use to build the structure and the roof.
The idea is to utilize thermal mass objects as building blocks. By doing this, the density of these materials would absorb and store the heat from the sun and then release it during the colder times of the day. Essentially, it’s a self-sufficient, self-adjusting heating system.
These materials are typically large bricks made of earth, concrete, or stone, and their density allows them to absorb and store the energy they receive from the sun. Ensuring these bricks are strategically placed to get the most exposure to the sun will do wonders for the heating bill, and – in some instances – can completely eradicate the need for fossil fuel-based energy for heating.
Another brilliant innovation – and one that happens to be a stunning design choice as well – is a green or “living” roof. Essentially, these types of roofs place a garden on top of the house. Or, at least, they create a water-retention layer that encourages the growth of plants and grasses. You could even create a vegetable patch up there!
You might be wondering how that can affect the temperature of the house. Well, the density of plant growth actually doubles as a very good insulator. So really, it’s a win-win!
Cleaner, Greener Water Management
One of the simplest ways to save on water and avoid using non-sustainable methods to do so is to collect rainwater. The water you collect can be used for many non-consumable requirements. But why stop at that?
New technology and innovation have brought about household water purification systems, meaning contaminated water can be transformed into a usable state. Using water plants such as algae, and other materials such as earth and sand, developers have created a way to naturally strain, filter, and purify water.
Not only is this sustainable, but it creates a smart home using readily available products, and brings control of your utilities back into your own hands. As so often is the case, being sustainable is good for the planet, and good for the pocket.
As for other water-management technologies, using more efficient washing machines and dishwashers will make a world of difference. Add that to utilizing water-restricting faucets and your smart home is well on its way!
Start Sustainable Home Building Today!
By upgrading your energy source to the sun, utilizing a garden on your roof, and using algae to filter your water, the options for sustainable home building have never been so vast.
And ensuring an energy-efficient home quite literally creates a win-win for the planet and for your pocket, with sustainable practices saving consumers huge amounts of money!
If the contents of this article have got you interested in how you can build a sustainable home, get in touch now!
