Everything you need to know about creating a sustainable home
Sustainability should be at the top of your list of priorities when building a new home or renovating. Not only do you want to help protect the environment, but you’ll want to save money in the long run too. And with sustainability on the rise in home construction there has been an increase in eco-friendly options and techniques. Here are some insight into creating sustainable homes with our community, from Lily Homes!
The right design
We’re used to our homes having lots of space but a smaller house is definitely going to be a more sustainable one. Smaller homes built with eco-friendly techniques will have a lesser impact on the environment and will use less energy over its lifetime. The larger the home the less efficient it is to run; a smaller design will need less land excavating, use fewer materials and cost less to generate cool and hot air.
When designing a sustainable home you should try to work with the land and consider every detail such as the elevation, drainage, air flow and direction of the natural light.
The right materials
Properly insulating your new build will help keep the heating and cooling bills down across the seasons. Try to work with sustainable building materials such as recycled glass, reclaimed lumber, natural products and floor insulation – and where possible always buy local.
Local materials will benefit your local economy and community and by reusing existing building materials you massively reduce the carbon footprint of your new home.
The exterior
The exterior of your home can have a big impact on the way you live and the running costs of your house. You don’t want to be spending more money on utilities than you have to when you could be spending that money on enjoying yourself or saving for the future.
Believe it or not but the colour of your home and the materials you use on the exterior can dramatically reduce your heating and cooling costs. Lighter colours can help control the heat your home attracts from the sun whilst bricks and rendering can both keep your home cool and retain heat when you need it most.
Go for solar
Australia is a rich country in so many ways but the things we have in the most abundance are wide, open spaces, happy people and sunshine. We get a lot of sunshine. A lot! Solar energy is clean and renewable. We’re not going to run out of sunshine soon so start making use of it.
Put solar panels on your roof and start generating some free energy courtesy of the natural power that pounds into our homeland every day! The technology is improving and getting cheaper all the time. Solar panels can be expensive at first but there are lots of options to help reduce the initial cost of installation, they have a great return on investment and the long-term savings are incredibly rewarding.
Sunlight is free; you don’t need a clear sky to generate electricity with solar panels and it is entirely possible to run your home on solar power. What’s not to love?
The future
Building a sustainable home now is an investment in the future. New technology and innovations will continue to make our homes more sustainable in the future but they could be costly. The savings made from building sustainably now can pay for future adaptations and incorporation of new sustainable technology.
By building sustainably now you not only contribute to the eco-friendly credentials of your community but you save a lot of time, effort and expense in the future when sustainable homes are the standard and possibly even legislated. Making the right decisions now will pay dividends in the long term.
Here at Lily Homes we have our finger on the pulse with all of the above,. To find out more visit. www.lilyhomes.com.au