Climate change, a problem that poses a significant threat to our future, entered the 21st century. Climate change has gained widespread popularity around the world and is now frequently mentioned when discussing concepts like global warming and carbon emissions. However, households themselves are unaware of how much they contribute to climate change.
The ordinary Indian home has a unique opportunity to significantly cut its carbon footprint. Our dwellings used to be built with materials that were easily accessible around us and in harmony with the environment. Simply put, modern dwellings are not as environmentally friendly as older ones were.
The purpose of this guide is to explain what a modern eco-friendly home is, how to build and maintain one, why they are important, how we can use them, and most importantly, what factors and considerations should be taken into account when building an eco-friendly home.
What makes a Home and Eco-friendly one?
Throughout its entire life cycle, from construction to destruction, an eco-friendly home or building produces little to no waste and uses the fewest resources possible.
The idea of eco-friendly housing is broad and profound, and it is constantly being researched and improved. Here, we’ll simplify this into 3 clear ideas:
1. Net Energy Consumption:
Energy is used in different ways by every residence. Electricity is the most widely used type. It fuels the heating, cooling, and water pumps in your home. Natural gas and LPG are additional energy sources that can be utilized for heating, cooking, and other purposes.
An eco-friendly home makes an effort to produce some or all of its energy needs on-site. This might be done with the help of biogas facilities that feed generators and take the place of cooking gas or solar systems that provide heat and energy.
The goal is to rely as little as possible on conventional, non-sustainable energy sources to power your home.
2. Sustainability:
Reduce, reuse, and recycling These are the basis of any environmentally sustainable structure. The secret is to use these principles throughout your home’s lifespan. Keep these mantras in mind even though there are other ways to accomplish this, some of which we will examine along the route.
- Reduce reliance on energy and natural resources
- To extend the life of anything you use by reusing it.
- Recycle anything you can, including construction and food waste.
You already have the makings of a fantastic eco-friendly home if you can implement these at every level of home construction and operation.
3. Efficiency:
Many of us don’t understand this idea. We’ll address this using an illustration.
Let’s say your residence is in a tremendously tropical-temperate nation like India where, it needs 30 units of electricity from the supply grid each month to run air conditioners. However, you opt to enhance your solar output’s capacity to satisfy this demand since you want to build an eco-friendly house, which raises your expenses and resource consumption.
Although you did exceed your net energy plus goal, was this the most effective method?
Think about it while taking a step back. You might have thought about improving your home’s ventilation to let cooler, outdoor air in. Add materials like blockwork, doors, and glazed windows that help thermally insulate your home. By doing that, you’ve just successfully decreased your need for air conditioning by 50%.
Getting it right in several ways is what efficient house building is all about.
We are not above nature, we are a part of it. Save it and it saves us.
Jennifer Nini
Getting it right in several ways is what efficient house building is all about.
How do you build and run an eco-friendly house?
Remember these three crucial truths before we continue to investigate how to do this:
- There isn’t a fix that works for everyone.
- Not everything can be resolved.
- Long-term costs will result from short-term thinking.
Let’s begin with that in mind:
Efficient Design:
- Look for lots that would let you position your house so that it faces the sun the best. You must provide the most natural light while either maximizing or minimizing natural heating, depending on the environment.
- Calculate your space needs in a reasonable manner. It is simpler to construct and maintain a smaller home. Less building materials are used, and operating costs for everything from lighting to air conditioning are decreased. Even cleaning a large house takes more time, water, and cleaning supplies. If you believe you require a second guest bedroom, reconsider.
- You strike gold if you discover a plot of land covered in trees and other vegetation. Try to remove as few trees as you can, and if you must, try to replace them in bare areas. Use vertical areas if you can’t have much greenery around you. A vertical garden can be supported by anything, including your garage and outside walls.
- You still lack the advantage of knowledge while having access to all the information that is easily available. You can benefit from the insight and experience of the right consultant. They have access to concepts, ideas, solutions, and tools that, if used early on, can prevent do-overs and retrofits.
Use the right materials:
- Building an eco-friendly home requires using sustainable materials. The flooring and roofing of your home should both be constructed of environmentally friendly materials. Keep in mind that ‘sustainable’ does not equate to cheap or low-quality. You can pick from a variety of environmentally friendly building materials, including fly ash, rammed earth bricks, porotherm blocks, bamboocrete, laterite stone, recycled plastics, and reclaimed wood.
- Insulate any spaces that will remain air-conditioned. Select windows with glazing that is thermally insulating and efficient. minimize the space between doors. Use terracotta and green covering to insulate your roof so that it won’t act as a heat sink.
- In our homes, water is the natural resource that is used the most. A good place to start is by selecting showers, taps, and faucets that give controlled flows. Compared to older models, modern toilets effectively cut water use by up to 60%.
Take advantage of Technology:
- Solar technology is a no-brainer given that it is the most abundant source of electricity. To reduce your reliance on grid electricity, consider purchasing solar panels. Invest in a small capacity that you can expand later if your budget does not allow for a full offset. Solar water heaters are another low-maintenance, cost-effective option.
- Utilize and install energy-saving appliances. Concentrate on appliances that are used frequently, such as fans, lights, and refrigerators. The following priority is given to appliances like air conditioners, water heaters, and washing machines that use a lot of energy throughout each use cycle. The government-mandated energy star ratings in India are an excellent way to determine how energy-efficient a given device is.
- Making your house “smart” makes it not only more environmentally friendly but also super-hip. The automation of your appliances, lighting, and water pumps is all possible with smart home technology. Even while each one has a relatively little effect but over time, they build up and help you save money and energy.
