Best Practices

Go Green with Environmentally Friendly Construction

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Shutterstock / By Andrei Shumskiy

If you’re constructing a home or new office building, you might want to consider green construction as your means to do so. This modern, environmentally friendly method of designing your home can help you save money and do your part to preserve the environment for future generations. Through this article, we’ll walk you through what green construction is and how it can benefit you and loved ones. Let’s get started.

What all does environmentally friendly construction entail?

The definition of environmentally friendly construction depends on who you ask. Here is a definition from the Environmental Protection Agency:

“Green building is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction.”

Environmentally friendly construction involves green building practices, eco-friendly materials, and going the extra mile to ensure the most environmentally friendly practices are being conducted possible. It involves learning the best placement of your home for solar panels, installing energy star rated projects, and ensuring your construction crew pays attention to the environmental impact they’re making. This type of construction is dedicated on keeping your environmental impact and footprint as small as possible.

What benefits does building a green home have?

The general idea seems straightforward. However, the requirements to receive a certification vary. The LEED and other labels have their own certification requirements. However, there are some common requirements among different green building standards. Here are some commonalities:

  • The building should have a higher energy efficiency rating than conventional buildings. The building should also have a smaller carbon footprint.
  • The process should be green at every stage, from citing to construction to maintenance and future restorations.
  • The building should be easy to modify to reflect future advances in green technology.

In addition to being a positive step towards preserving the future, this method of construction saves considerable money and decreases waste. A properly designed green building can reduce energy consumption by 25% or more.

Investing the time into researching and the money into the right green builders and Energy Star rated appliances is well worth it. These appliances have been proven to have a much better energy rating than most other green tools. They are typically used for windows, doors, skylights and other parts of a building that are usually energy sinks. It’s an investment in your future and well worth your time and efforts. It can improve the health of those residing in the home or working in the building, as well as making less of an impact on the environment, securing its health and sustainability for future generations. This can be an achievable way to truly lower your overall environmental footprint.

Ensure that your building is well insulated, it will also help to reduce heating bills, which is another great advantage. Consider solar panels, these can be fantastic too, but this will depend on how much roof space can be used and the amount of sun that is available.

What can you do?

It could be complicated to figure out where to go from here, but there’s a few things you can do to ensure the most environmentally friendly construction possible with your building without breaking the bank. You can take the time to investigate how construction companies plan to build your home to ensure their using green practices. Make sure you’re using Energy Star rated products to ensure maximum conservation and minimal waste. Energy Star rates everything from windows to dishwashers to washing machines, so you can be sure you’re getting the most environmentally friendly stuff possible. You can also install solar panels, ensuring maximum clean energy efficiency and saving you money.

Doing your part to make an effort to be greener is a great investment in the future health of the earth and the future of humanity. Green buildings can help lower the environmental impact, improve the health of those that reside in it, and cut down on waste. They can help you save money, too. Green construction is the way of the future; it saves money and energy, minimizes waste, and is a positive step to ensure the sustainability of our environment in the future.

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