The market for home building today increasingly caters to creating economic incentives for building homes or properties that are less of a burden on the environment. This means you can achieve peace of mind that you are a part of creating a better world through sustainable home building while saving money at the same time. Timber Frame Homes with Solar panels and heat pumps are a great example of being incentivised to build sustainable homes. John Warrington from Timber Frame Manufacturer Oakworth Homes says that ouse building almost can’t keep up with technology and the possibilities for the future are incredible for low energy smart houses.
There are a lot of ways you can have sustainable home building and that is by using eco friendly materials. One of the most popular is the use of solar panels. If possible, you can look into installing solar hot water system and solar power in your home. With more people converting to solar energy, the price steadily comes down.
However, it is essential to make sure you have cut off switch in the meter box so if the main supply electricity grid can go down your solar power system won’t continue feeding live power into the grid. If your budget allows, you can also consider installing backup bank of batteries in your home so when the grid goes down, your system will switch across to the battery supply allowing you to continue enjoying a supply of electricity within your home. You can also buy something called Vphase – which helps monitor your voltage and helps you optimise your voltage, reducing your bills
Wind turbines are excellent options as well but this depends on the size of land available, your location, your requirements and most importantly, your budget. Generally, they are not feasible in urban areas due to noise. Wind turbines combined with solar panels, you can have a great alternative source of energy which can be beneficial if you are living in rural areas since you can make the most of the heat coming from the sun on fine days and have the wind turbine provide electricity for your home on cold winter days.
Renovating or building your home is also the best time to install insulation in the ceiling, walls or under roofing. If it is possible to replace sliding doors and windows with insulated glass, you can keep your home cool during summer and warm during winter. Insulated or double glaze glass comes in thickness that range from 3mm to 10mm thick. It is important however to ensure that the doors and windows are sealed well to prevent wind drafts that come through the top, sides or bottoms.
When it comes to painting your home, it is ideal to use water based paints since they are less toxic compared to the oil based variety. The reason for this is water based paints contain lower levels of VOCs. You can seek for advice from your painter on the best locally produced eco-friendly paint products that are available today.
Energy efficient bulbs are great if you are looking to have sustainable home building. They come in all sizes and shapes including globes small and large, chandelier bulbs, tear drops, garden lightning, LEDs and many others. LED light bulbs are known to be more energy efficient compared to the compact fluorescent lighting as they cost less to run and they consume less energy. LED can also last for more than 100,000 hours.
There are many environmentally friendly solutions you can explore the next time you renovate or build a home. Besides the fact that it is good for the environment, it is also great for your pocket and can offer you with peace of mind and sense of satisfaction all at the same time.