April 6, 2021
Sustainable living, one could say, begins at home. The environment has felt the wrath of human ignorance for far too long. These days, there has been a renewed consciousness, and a rise in homes that incorporate sustainability has been noted. A sustainable home respects resources, optimizes energy and water use, and has proven to last longer. Besides this, there is a marked cost reduction in running your home, improved quality systems, less wastage, and a safer living environment. In today’s day and age, sustainable homes are needed more than ever.
Here are 5 ways we can incorporate sustainability into our homes.
Solar panels harness power from the sun and produce electricity to aid in heating, cooling, and ventilating living spaces. Passive solar designs rely solely on a building’s materials that are specifically designed to reflect, absorb, or transmit the sun’s radiation. No additional electrical or mechanical equipment is required. The interior of your home is designed to facilitate the movement of sun-heated air without the use of fans. This can reduce the amount of energy used to heat, cool, and ventilate your home. Overall, using solar energy can reduce energy consumption by 90% as opposed to conventionally built homes.
After heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, electrical appliances consume the most energy in your home. When you buy an appliance, both the buying cost and the cost and energy wasted to operate the appliance need to be considered. This is why it is important to choose energy-efficient appliances that can dramatically reduce the energy and cost of operating the appliance. Tankless, on-demand water heaters, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and high-efficiency appliances like front-loading washers are smart water-saving solutions for a comfortable, high-performance home. Also, switching to LED lighting can greatly conserve energy as it uses 75% less energy and can be used 25 times longer than traditional electrical lighting.
Windows accounts for about 50% of lost energy. There are a lot of energy-efficient technologies in the market these days such as double glazing, special coating, non-conductive framing materials, etc. Installing or replacing your windows will result in better energy efficiency. For warmer climates, such as that in Goa, it is advised to invest in windows with low solar gain, meaning less heat is conducted into your interior through the windows. Reflective technologies, double glazing and windows that ensure ventilation are very helpful. This ensures cooler room temperatures and protection from harmful sun rays.
The ingredient VOC, present in conventional paints is extremely toxic, not only to manufacture but to coat our walls with as well. Eco-paints, which are 100% organic and VOC-free, limit toxins and reduce indoor air pollution. In the long run, VOC paints can cause health problems to those in the constant vicinity of the paint. This is why it is advised to invest in environment-friendly paints when considering a sustainable home.
While building traditional homes, many materials go to waste and are dumped at landfills. A part of building sustainable homes means that recycling and reusing materials becomes a part of our routine. You can sell bricks, wood, and metal, even old appliances that have a scrap value. This reduces the demand for new resources, cuts costs related to the production and transportation of new materials, and eliminates the need to send waste to landfill sites.
Some materials can also be reused and recycled. Some examples are,
At Rainforest Estates, we already have provisions made for sustainable living. With built-in energy-efficient appliances and systems for an easier and environmentally clean experience. You can be an active part of the planning process and customize your home according to your needs and that of the planet. An additional perk is that, unlike typical residential societies, you can have benefits such as a wide green cover and so much more.
Read our blog to know why buyers are shifting from investing in large residential societies to exclusive projects.
Ways to Incorporate Sustainability Into Your Home