The way we humans are currently living isnt going to be sustainable for long. This is a fact that were becoming more and more aware of every day. And so green home design, formerly a small market, is spreading steadily over the world. Some experts predict that green home design will soon make up a huge slice of the real estate industry.
In the U.S., housing accounts for 38% of the countrys carbon emissions. So in the fight on global warming, how we choose to build our homes (with green home design or without it) is going to have a huge effect on our future. If youre looking to incorporate a bit of green home design, there are a hundred small things you can do to green-up your home. But for those into truly lowering their homes impact on the environment, there are four basic green home design rules to follow.
Rule 1 in Green Home Design: Go Small
Large homes are a symbol of wealth, status, and success. But large homes use up an incredible amount of energy for heating and cooling-- and this energy generally comes from nasty fossil fuels that muck up our environment. These homes also require more resources for building and create more waste as a result. So its important for you to build small if you want to incorporate a green home design.
Green Home Design Rule 2: Incorporate Passive Solar Design
Passive solar heating is one of the backbones of green home design. The relatively simple concept behind passive solar design is to design a home according to the climate. In warmer climates, homes are designed to absorb less heat. In cold climates, the amount of heat lost is reduced. Green home design uses the buildings orientation to the sun, window positioning, stone flooring, and other building elements to control the temperature and save energy.
Rule 3 in Green Home Design: Recycle and Reuse Materials
Almost everything used in a traditional home harms the environment in some way, either by its manufacture (plastics and artificials) or its transport (naturals). The use of renewable or recycled materials which are manufactured locally helps to reduce the damage building can have on the environment. Use recycled materials, such as recycled insulation and lumber composites, or quickly-renewable products, such as bamboo flooring, in your green home design.
Green Home Design Rule 4: Optimize your Heating and Cooling
Heating and cooling a home accounts for the huge majority of its energy consumption. And even though the thought of the hot summer months might make an oversized air conditioning system sound pretty tempting, this kind of cooling is as anti-green home design as you can get. Big air conditioning systems cool the air too much and too quickly, causing them to turn on an off constantly. Because of this, they dont last nearly as long as smaller systems, creating a huge amount of waste along with energy loss.

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by: hugatree
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