photo by ulybug
Creating your sustainable home has a benefit not only to the environment and your personal health, but also helps by reducing utility expense over the long term for home owners. If you are thinking about renovating your home there are many ways to choose products and building methods that will ensure that your home has a positive and not negative impact on the environment.
Reuse and Repurpose
Building a new home can be expensive. Perhaps that is why more people are turning to renovation compared to new homes. According to the National Association of Home Builders, the average 2,200 square foot home requires no less than 13,000 feet of framing lumber. If you stretched that out, it would span 2.5 miles of wood products needed just for the framing, let alone other interior elements such as flooring and cabinetry. Home construction and remodeling in the United States alone is responsible for approximately 1/3 of annual municipal solid waste.
Much of what you remove from your home during renovation can be repurposed for other projects, or utilized in a new way. Instead of replacing a worn countertop, consider having it resurfaced with an environmentally friendly process. Refacing your countertop saves you the expense of replacing it entirely when only the surface is worn, and you can get a variety of quality no VOC (volatile organic compound) finishes. If you are replacing an old tile backsplash, repurpose the tiles and create a new outdoor patio table top and look for other ideas to reuse instead of generating waste.
Create Natural Light
Did you know that creating a new window or expanding the size of an existing window can create more natural light in your home, and reduce your energy bill? The ambiance of natural light is always appreciated and it can have a big impact on your annual lighting costs.
Revisit Your Water Heater
We tend to forget about the water heater when we are measuring the energy efficiency of our home. It’s important when you consider that an old water heater can run up your energy bill faster than any other appliance in the home. Investigate replacing your old water heater with a new tankless model. They have been available in Europe for more than fifty years but are starting to become popular and available now in North America. They are about 20% more efficient than the standard water heater and are available in natural gas, propane or electric models according to the US Department of Energy.
Choose Local Materials
Creating an environmentally sound home and then trucking in exotic materials is counterproductive. Be aware of the cost in terms of emissions when goods have to be transported over long distances. Source your building materials and even your contractor locally to reduce the cost to the environment. Choose lumbers that are locally sourced and sustainable.
Ventilation
Create cross ventilation and save money by installing quality, low energy but high efficiency ceiling fans. Save on costs to cool your home during hot summer months and spare the environment both the cost of generating the energy as well as the emissions created from meeting increased demand to the energy grid when temperatures start to rise. Ceiling fans are easy to install, but consult with a professional to determine the best placement to optimize the cross ventilation cooling.
When renovating your home, don’t just think of the end result as being more environmentally friendly. Consider the renovation process and choices you make in building materials as part of the responsible act of making a change to reduce your carbon footprint while supporting sustainable living.
About Author: Stefanie Gomez is associated with Essentia, manufacturers of the best memory foam mattresses. She understands the importance about green/Healthy living hence she generally blogs about eco-friendly lifestyle, health/wellness, healthy and sustainable living options. She is also passionate about reading, photography, cooking, gadgets and yoga.