It's no secret, global warming has made green home plans and designs relevant. This is why architects are designing green home plans, energy efficient home plans, and good passive solar home design!
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Buildings account for more than 40 percent of energy used and pollution generated in the United States. This statistic was calculated according to a 2002 white paper by the U.S. Green Building Council. If you choose to build a green home, you are not only saving yourself money on energy bills, but you are also contributing to help conserve natural resources.
You are also aiding in the preservation of our permanent home, our planet. Remember that whatever actions you take today, good or bad, will have an effect in the future. Just as we are seeing today the results of what past generations did, future adults will have to face the consequences of today's mistakes.
Energy efficient home plans will allow you to have the house you desire all while contributing to a good cause. Green home plans will have an assortment of energy efficient features. That's why it's important to know how to identify green features!
This way you will know if the house plan you are buying really is a green home design. Home plan designers can promise more sustainable living but if you are well educated on the topic and know what to look for in green home plans, you will not be fooled.
Among the energy efficient features that should be included in green home designs are energy efficient windows. These are special windows, which are usually double paned, and made of recycled glass with a special slight tint that will help keep your house cool in the summers and warmer in the winters. Green home designs should also be properly insulated with adequate, eco-friendly padding.
Solar panels are options for generating energy with your new green home. There is also passive solar home design, which offers ways of generating energy without the need of any mechanics. If your green home designs do not include any of these, then they might not be as green as you'd hoped. However, do keep in mind that energy efficient home plans will offer you the options and alternatives.
Solar panels are large plates specially made to absorb the light and heat from the sun, in order to generate energy to use in buildings or cars. The power system is elaborated so that it only uses the energy from the sun during the day, and in the evenings, the electricity generators receive the excess energy in order to power the house. The cost of solar panels , depend on the size of the panel, the size of the home, where they will be placed, and the installation.
The cost of solar panels can be somewhat expensive, ranging anywhere from a couple of thousand to maybe, tens of thousands. However, it's an investment well worth making. Remember, that in order for you to get the most benefit out of your solar panels, it's imperative that you also acquire energy efficient appliances. Most, if not all home appliance manufacturers have energy efficient designs.
Passive solar home design is also called climatic design. This method of green home design ensures that windows, doors, floors and walls can store heat in the winter and reject it in the summer without the need to use any electrical cords, fans, or mechanical devices. A passive solar home design helps you take advantage of your local weather changes.
In order for this type of green home plan to be effective, the designer should know where to place windows so that they work more efficiently, how and what insulation should be used, and what type of cooling system needs to be implemented.
In addition to having different energy efficient features, like solar panels and energy efficient windows, green home plans should have material that is made from recycled products as much as possible. The supplies used to build your home should be eco-friendly and have a guarantee, not to cause harm to the earth.
Often times green home designs will portray options of recycled wood or metal. Use materials that are easily recyclable, durable, and low maintenance. You should weather strip door openings and seal ducts to get the best insulation possible.
Green homes should also include a plan for conserving water during and after construction. You should make your best effort to control soil erosion and mange run off water so they don't affect the storm water management systems.
Green home plans will include an option for a water filtration system that can be used for other usages that do not include drinking water, like doing laundry, cleaning the house, or doing dishes.
Going green can be a challenge, but if well implemented, you will not only help conserve and preserve the planet, but you will benefit financially from your decision.
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