Green home is a development that has been expanding over the last few decades. The concept is only becoming greener, as more homeowners are switching to this alternative with a growing number of green home elements than ever. With the increasing popularity of the green home market, consumers are learning about new opportunities to reduce energy consumption, resulting in lower bills, and to improve the quality of their home, as well as, protect the environment from the devastating impact of carbon footprint. 
Over the years the cost of building a green home has dropped by 1%, which has drawn more homeowners towards considering investment in green technology. Access to many green home products and technology has become easy as these products are now available right in your local hardware stores.
Using energy efficient sources allows you to pursue an environmental project that in return improves the efficiency of your home as well. This is often misperceived to mean that you will be conforming to the strictest criteria and hard labor, which isn’t true and only reflects a poor understanding of the green technology. You only have to adjust to a few small changes in your lifestyle for a greater cause and benefit to you and society as a whole. Here are some green home building ideas and how they function, so you may gain a better understanding of them:
Build Reasonably
A small home will always be more energy efficient than a large home that isn’t quite needed. Also, using eco-friendly construction techniques to build reduces environmental impact. This doesn’t mean you have to restrict your square footage to a tiny cottage or sabotage your dream of building a big home. But the idea is to be rather thoughtful about how you use the extra space. You should plan your home according to your needs first, keeping the landscaping manageable and cost effective.
Solar Energy
Acquiring energy directly from the sun is a clean and low cost energy method since the sun is the ultimate source of energy. When you’re building your home you have better opportunities to utilize this method compared to homeowners with homes already built. This is because you can install solar technology efficiently by taking advantage of geography and light, enabling yourself to collect maximum energy. The positioning of your home significantly determines your ability to draw in light energy through solar panels. Hence, it is important to evaluate the solar capacity and potential of your property. Hiring the right company for solar financing is a start in the right direction. Solar power combined with other ideas can be ideal for generating enough energy. As government sponsored incentives, there are grants and tax breaks for those investing in this program.
Roof Cooling
An ideal roof is a roof that is highly reflective in the summer and highly absorbent in the winter. Your roof material can dramatically affect your home’s energy efficiency. In order to use sustainable materials, you need to consider products that reflect sunlight away from the roof during summer days, have a low heat retention capacity and cool down faster during the night. These cool roofs help reduce energy costs. Materials like slate, white tiles, terracotta, metal, and special membranes, are all products with varying degrees of green effects. Although, green options are relatively expensive but you can redeem the high costs through saving on bills, and through the longevity of the products requiring minimal maintenance. Living roof is also a great option, which is designed to hold plants that filter rainwater on the roof. These plants also insulate the home by preventing water from directly entering the drain pipe. These roofs are, however, more common in commercial settings but can certainly be incorporated into residential roofs and reap the same benefits.
Use Recyclables
Using recyclables are useful in fulfilling the cause of conserving nature but they’re also cheaper and prove quite efficient for the purpose they’re being used for. Total-fill insulation is usually made from recyclables such as cotton, wool, newspapers, wood pulp and soybean. You save money by employing these techniques and avoiding having to pay for virgin products. There are a number of recycled materials that are used in greenhouse building. Recycled wood, countertops, soda cans, steel, plastic and aluminum all can be used for a variety of purposes. They also form a high quality composite. Discuss with your builder as many green alternatives as possible.
Use Sustainable Materials
You can use sustainable materials in many areas of your home, starting from the frame of your home to the flooring. For this you’ll need to find a supplier that practices planting sustainable home materials. Wood, for example, can be used a renewable resource. Modern flooring includes cork and linoleum, bamboo wood, and many such materials that offer the benefits of climate control, insulation, and the overall effect of environmental friendliness. As consumers and designers are becoming more informed, they are moving towards using linoleum due to its lifespan of 25 to 40 years, on top of its 100% recyclable feature.
Natural Landscaping
If you’re designing your home, you might want to take a good look around your land and think through ideas on how to use the natural landscape to your advantage. For example, if your property slopes down, plant water willows in the low areas where it can absorb higher quantities of collected water, and plant conifers in the higher area of the ground. These natural characteristics aid plants in performing their functions to your advantage. Xeriscaping is a landscaping technique in which native plants can minimize water use.
Conserve Water
Water is easily the most precious natural resource that is crucial to the survival of life on earth. Conserving water is a responsibility, human beings should share collectively and vigorously. In order to take steps towards this cause, consider installing low flow fixtures at home. These fixtures are designed to release less water with higher pressures that ensure you’re able to serve your needs without excess use of water. Other appliances you can consider using are low flow faucet aerators, Energy-Certified dishwashers and washing machines, tankless water heaters, and low flow flush systems. You can also conserve rainwater for irrigating your garden and maintaining your landscape. There are many innovations available in the market that serve the purpose of irrigating land without channeling water through pipes to be drained away.
