Everybody looks for a "green" home these days. That is, a house or home that is built to be earth-friendly and environmentally sound. This is because there are few things as satisfying as knowing that you are living in harmony with the planet and that your presence on it is a benefit and not liability! However: There are many things you have to take into account when designing a "green" home, and the subject can get quite complex. What follows is a list of the most important factors to keep in mind when building a house that wants to qualify as green.
Energy Star and Energy Efficiency
If you have ever owned or built a home before and are conscious about the environment, you know about Energy Star. They are the makers of light bulbs and appliances that are energy-efficient and save a nice amount of electricity and resources that would otherwise be wasted by regular appliances. If you are building a home that will get along with your environment, then you want to be outfitting it with this brand of bulbs and, well, everything!
Grey Water Cycling
"Grey water" is the name given to that water which is not actually dirty, but which gets wasted anyway. Think water from watering the garden, or water from the faucet being turned on while you brush your teeth. Nowadays, there are systems that will filter and re-use this grey water in order to greatly increase your water efficiency. All this of course is in addition to low-flow toilets, faucets and shower heads, which everybody should be using these days anyway.
Exteriors, walls, windows
The outside pats of your house are what protect you from the elements and make it a home. However, you need to pay attention and be careful as to what they are actually made of. There are many materials that while providing safe cover from the world will in return peel off chemicals and harm it. A good green-friendly paint coating and wall finish is crucial to your home being as friendly to the earth as it can be. Also, good double- or triple-pane windows not only provide you with some nice insulation from the cold, but also protect the environment from contaminants from the inside of the house.
Interiors, carpets, furniture
The inside of the home is just as important as the outside. Take the time to research and choose good, safe and sound environmentally friendly materials for your room's paint and furniture. Many old buildings used to use lead paint for this purpose which we now know is horrible to have used, even for the people living in the home. With time we may even discover that materials we think are ok now actually turn out to be harmful too, but for now, good research and judgment should keep us mostly in the clear.
Size of the footprint of the home
The size of your house itself can have a huge impact on the surrounding environment, especially if it winds up brushing up against neighboring trees or casting am oversized shadow on some animals' ecosystem. Remember sometimes it is better to have a smaller, more stylish, more earth-friendly home that is an asset to those around it, that a larger one that isn't.
Marcela Serio is the marketing manager at Arthur Rutenberg Homes, a Florida custom home builder that has been in operation for 60 years.
For more information on building your own custom home in the best way possible, visit us at www.ArthurRutenbergHomes.com.
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