We hear about sudden natural disasters like floods and storms in the news all the time, and the damage we humans do to the environment is usually at the heart of these stories. The construction of homes is a massive industry that uses an enormous amount of resources. There is an infinite variety of materials, including but not limited to wood, clay, bricks, steel, and cement. Much of this raw material comes from sources that harm the environment, leading to both immediate and long-term destruction of our natural surroundings.
No longer is it a moral imperative that we alter our lifestyles to be less harmful to society and the environment. If we want to keep on living and leave a world that is at least somewhat safer for future generations, if not better, this is our only choice.
One of the most important things we can do for the environment is to build houses in India using eco-friendly designs. With a growing global population and ever-increasing demands, eco-friendly architecture design offers a real and workable solution to the problem of human impact on the environment.
What this means is that you should make sure that your ideas for eco-friendly houses are such that both nature and future generations will be eternally grateful to you. If you are intending to build a house that is environmentally friendly, here are some tips that you can follow.
1. Where to Put Your Eco-Friendly Home
In an ideal world, you would be able to ride your bike or stroll to the bus stop or train station from your eco-friendly house in India. And while you’re about it, stay away from dangerous places that flood easily.
2. Utilize the necessary tools and Resources
Buying and using cheap things is not necessarily the way to be ecologically conscious. Check the building materials and energy efficiency of each electrical device in your home to see if they are environmentally friendly. It is always better to buy new, highly rated appliances that use less energy than to utilize old, inefficient ones that use more energy. Among other things, this rule covers appliances including air conditioners, dishwashers, freezers, and ovens. Buying appliances with the highest energy rating is a good place to start when planning an eco-friendly home. Each appliance has an energy rating.
When planning to build a home in India, keep in mind that the sun can be extremely intense, especially in the summer. Your home’s cooling system will consume the bulk of your energy during this period. Using exterior cladding that is designed to retain its cool temperature, installing double-glazed windows to keep out the sunshine, and designing homes with excellent cross-ventilation are all ways to keep a home cool without relying on the HVAC system.
3. Always Say Yes to Greens
If you’re looking for an inexpensive approach to incorporating eco-friendly house ideas, try using indoor plants.
Doing this for yourself in terms of an eco-friendly home design is going to be a huge favor. You should count yourself lucky if, instead of a perfectly level plot of land, you are bestowed with a parcel of verdant trees and shrubs upon which to build your home. as you’re at it, commit to chopping down as few trees as you can as you construct the house. You shouldn’t be too hard on yourself if you let a couple of them ruin your modern, eco-friendly house ideas in India.
Also Read: Small Open Kitchen Design Ideas You’ll Love
4. Make an investment in energy-saving technologies to lessen your impact on the environment
One great eco-friendly home option that you should look into is a greywater collection. You may wash your car or fill up the cisterns with the water that runs off your kitchen and bathroom countertops if you collect it all. With the help of a well-planned water run-off collection system, you may replenish groundwater supplies through rainfall harvesting, and you can use the excess water for gardening and even washing your car.
Keeping the energy consumption of your environmentally friendly home to a minimum is a crucial part of living sustainably. This means that you may expect a high degree of comfort from your home while also reducing its energy consumption. A variety of methods exist for accomplishing this. One surefire approach to weaning yourself off of traditional power sources is to have your home constructed with solar energy efficiency and environmentally conscious architecture in mind. With the ever-changing technology of solar power, you can become completely energy-independent and build environmentally friendly structures.
The Advantages of Solar Energy Use:
Low-Cost Rooftop Solar panels have disproved the notion that eco-friendly home designs are expensive to maintain. Solar panels not only reduce a homeowner’s electricity costs by 20 to 30 percent, but they are also easy to install and maintain.
The cost of living is subsidized in many states and nations because the government encourages the use of solar electricity and because homeowners who build environmentally friendly houses also receive subsidies!
Minimize Environmental Impact:
It should go without saying that you are helping the earth by lowering your carbon footprint when you make an effort to live in a sustainable and environmentally friendly home.
Several technologies, like wind power, can be integrated into your home to increase its energy independence. In addition to assisting you in reducing your carbon footprint, these solutions alleviate pressure on the existing infrastructure for environmentally friendly housing.
5. Construction and flooring materials
There is an overwhelming variety of environmentally friendly building materials available, making the selection process difficult. Primary raw materials can include cement, ceramics, aluminum, glass, or steel; however, the accessibility of these resources (because their transportation from far away involves the combustion of tons of carbon), the local climate, and the durability of the materials all play a role. For a contemporary, eco-friendly home, there are a wide variety of flooring options to choose from.
From sleek vitrified tiles to hardwoods, slate tiles to bamboo, flooring has come a long way and is now just one more way to express one’s personal style. Laminate wood or bamboo flooring, on the other hand, is the way to go if you’re concerned about the environment.
The fact that many building materials are sourced from distant places is a major contributor to the construction sector’s disproportionately large carbon footprint. To get around this, try to source as much of your supplies from local businesses or those that employ environmentally friendly building products. As an example, you shouldn’t put marble from Italy or even China on your floors. You should instead look into the many flooring options available to you in your region and pick the one that you like best.
Buying locally not only helps local businesses and industries thrive, but it also reduces the carbon footprint of your modern, eco-friendly home. The idea that certain materials are required to improve the look of a home’s finish is widespread yet incorrect. Conversely, it should be within the capabilities of any skilled architect or interior designer to construct a lovely house using materials that are native to the area.
Conclusion
In addition, you can talk to your builder and architect about finding a wealth of recycled materials to use in the construction of your eco-friendly house.
Building an eco-friendly house is possible in a number of different ways. The best approach to realizing your eco-friendly home plans is to combine modern, eco-friendly features with more traditional, locally relevant ones. A skilled home interior designer in Ahmedabad can help you integrate sustainable materials and energy-efficient solutions into your interior design. There is a wealth of information available online that you may incorporate into your home in various ways.