Green living isn't just recycling soda bottles! Every phase of building a green home has an environmental impact. Through careful planning, these elements can be managed to create a sustainable, environment-friendly home. The location, planning, and design of the home and landscape each play an important part.
The location of a home has a lot of impact. When possible, a truly green home is convenient walking distance from public transportation. The building site requires a minimum of clearing before construction. Destruction of existing plant life is considered part of the environmental impact of the building. The overall geography of the site is chosen to conform to principles of energy conservation which are carried out in the home's floor plan.
The green approach applies to the construction process as well as the home itself. Materials-efficient planning can save time and money while conserving resources. For example, wall lengths conforming to standard sizes of building materials will reduce wasted materials. This also saves money, since custom-sizing materials takes time and labor. Many computer modeling programs are available to help designers pre-manage the materials to be used in a home. Plans are made in advance to use or recycle the waste produced during the construction of the house. Where possible, the surrounding landscape is preserved.
For maximum energy efficiency, the sustainable home features thermally efficient shell materials and plenty of recycled-content insulation. A high-efficiency heating and air system is complemented by light-colored roofing materials, which help conserve energy. The principles of passive solar energy can make a new home extremely energy efficient, keeping it naturally cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Following these principles may determine which direction the home itself faces, or the location of features such as the garage. Active solar energy collectors may also be used, as well as solar-powered exterior lighting, which stores up a charge during the day to be used overnight.
Natural lighting is an energy-conserving element that influences the floor plan itself. Natural lighting is combined with task-specific indoor lighting and low voltage, high efficiency dimmers to greatly reduce the amount of energy needed to light the home. Features such as skylights must be incorporated in the initial design of the home to be completely effective.
Along with energy, a green home conserves water. Traditional plumbing does not incorporate many of the environment-friendly features now available. A custom plan based on the layout of the specific home is usually used instead. Dual plumbing systems recycle clean waste water for toilet flushing. Low flush toilets and low flow shower heads reduce the water wasted by everyday activities. Some sinks may be too remote for the hot water system to reach efficiently. Point-of-use water heaters are used for these instead.
The outside of the house is also designed to conserve water and energy. The exterior of the house channels rainwater to be recycled for natural landscape irrigation. Plants used in landscaping require minimal water and survive without pesticides.
Sustainable building is not an all-or-nothing proposition. It may not yet be practical - or possible - for everyone to implement all of these elements into a single new home. However, a little goes a long way when designing and building a green home. Even a few of these features, combined with energy and water efficient appliances and environment-conscious habits, will have a lasting positive impact.