The good news is that there’s a growing number of eco-friendly building materials and techniques available for homes, and many of them save you money both during construction and for years to come. As Conserve Energy Future points out: “With the constantly changing environment around us, it’s important to be environmentally aware and active. It’s even more important when you consider how much money you can save by building a green home.” When embarking upon new home construction or a remodel, talk with a professional about the variety of eco-friendly and sustainable approaches and what might be right for you and your family. If you do your research, you can create a home that’s both stunning and green. “Reduce your need for buying new products that are not environment friendly,” says Conserve Energy Future. “Reuse your old material such as wood floors, doors, windows in your next home. Recycled materials such as recycled glass, aluminum, recycled tile, reclaimed lumber, recycled plastic can be used in green homebuilding.” Seek out green building materials from certified and managed forests, recycled or reclaimed wood (salvaged from riverbeds or old buildings), or composites such as formaldehyde-free MDF (medium-density fiberboard) for doors and cabinets. You might also consider using bamboo where possible, as it is considered one of the top choices in eco-friendlly building materials thanks to its rapid regeneration rate. “It has an incredibly high self-generation rate, with some being reported to have grown up to three feet within 24 hours,” says Conserve Energy Future. Real linoleum is made from biodegradable linseed oil, pine rosins, and wood flour on a jute backing. In other rooms, choose wood floors or carpet options made of wool and sisal, a natural grasslike fiber. These eco-friendly building materials are stylish for you, and healthy for the environment. These mats are layered across each other for strength, then heat-pressed into panels. The makers say the eco-friendly building materials save time and energy over stick-built construction. Energy Star windows are another important eco-friendy choice. “Energy-efficient windows labeled as ENERGY STAR…are a new player in the window market and are much more energy efficient than normal windows,” says the Conserve Energy Future website. “The ratings for these windows determine how energy efficient they will be. The lower the rating, the more energy efficient are your windows. The energy savings provided by these windows are enough to cover the added cost per window.” These items can cut down on your water bill costs and make your home much more environmentally friendly, the Conserve Energy Future website points out. You might also consider rainwater harvesting systems. These system can be installed while building your green home to collect rainwater from roofs that is stored it in a tank, according to the Conserve Energy Future website. “The collected water can then be used for other purposes, such as toilets and sprinkler systems,” the website explains. Rain barrels are one of the most common methods of rainwater harvesting being used today, according to the website. “We all know that almost 50% of our energy consumption goes towards heating and cooling of our home,” says Conserve Energy Future. “The simplest way to cut down this cost and reduce the electricity bill is to install a programmable thermostat.” The other green choice is composite decking, which is made from ground wood fibers and resin. It won’t rot and may not need to be finished.
