Green Features to Consider for Your Home Design
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Green living has become more than just a nice idea; it’s a way of life. While incorporating eco-friendly practices into daily life is an important component of green living, implementing green building technologies and construction best practices into a custom home design can also have a huge impact on the environment. Green house plans help set a solid foundation for healthy and eco-conscious living. Environmentally friendly custom home designs can also help reduce your family’s overall carbon footprint and minimize the harmful effects your new home will have on the planet.
Here’s a look at some of the essential features to consider including in green custom home designs:
High-quality building envelope. In a sustainable custom home design, energy efficiency begins with an air-tight building envelope and quality insulation, in the foundation as well as the walls. This helps the household conserve energy while making the home more comfortable for the residents. Be sure to use eco-friendly insulating materials that protect your family’s long-term health.
High-efficiency heating and cooling systems. When implementing your custom house plans, make room for mechanical equipment in conditioned space – including ductwork – and opt for energy-efficient heating and cooling solutions whenever possible, such as tankless water heaters, which provide on-demand hot water instead of storing it and incurring energy loss, or mini-split heat pumps, which provide heat to the home without loss associated with ductwork .
Passive solar features. Green custom house plans should also incorporate properly designed large, south-facing windows, skylights and other features that maximize use of the sun’s natural light and heat.
Eco-friendly materials. During the early stages of your custom home design, make sure your designer creates custom house plans that support the use of sustainable building materials throughout the home.
Building a green custom home design can be your first step into a healthier and more sustainable way of life for your entire family.
Note: The home shown above is The Abbott House Plan 22174.