Today there is a lot of talk about reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. One way to do this is to build a green home. A green home is smartly designed in a way that lessons the impact on the environment using certified green materials, design and construction practices.
According to Wikipedia[i] Green Building is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings use resources such as energy, water, and materials.
Incorporating green building practices into your new home doesn’t have to be expensive or prohibitive. Typically the cost is only about 5 percent over traditional methods. With a qualified Architect who knows about sustainable building practices it is likely that you will save money over the long run, estimates range from 200 to 400 dollars per year in energy cost savings alone.
By employing Green Building practices not only in regard to your design but also by using green architecture, in conjunction with sustainable development during construction you can gain efficiencies in all areas, saving energy, water and materials.
The fact that green materials last longer and often have longer warranty periods will also be substantial cost savings to you over the life of your home. There are also some government programs for borrowers who qualify for an energy efficient mortgage, or EEMs, this can enable you to better afford your energy efficient dream home today.
Building green will improve many aspects of your home and your life. You will lesson the chemicals used in the building process that will drastically improve the air quality in your home thus reducing allergies, not to mention your personal carbon footprint, which can eventually, combined with other people’s efforts offer a tremendous global impact.
According to a 2007 report from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)[ii] thirty to forty percent of global energy use occurs in the building sector. If we can encourage new homeowners and commercial builders to consider the advantages and over all cost savings to employing sustainable building practices we can go far in reducing our combined impact on our environment.
NewSouth Architects[iii] is committed to continuing education about Green building practices and incorporating them into our designs as well as the construction process.
