Comfort is an important thing to make sure of when designing and building a home. After all, the house is where we rest and recuperate from all the stresses that work and school put on us.
But in the process of making the home more comfortable, we should never forget the impact that we have on the environment. If we are not careful, we might use paints that contain harmful chemicals, or end up installing air conditioning units that are not efficient.
But those are just the little things. If we really want to be environmentally friendly, the changes that we make should be structural or foundational, and they should touch on a home’s most basic needs: electricity, light, and water. The rest of the article presents examples of such changes.
Let the home run on solar power
While the use of electricity is already an efficient way of producing power, it still has some room for improvement. And the improvement comes in the form of solar energy.
As the term suggests, solar energy is sourced from the sun. Energy from the sun’s rays is ‘mined’ using solar panels.
While we surely can install the panels ourselves, it’s highly advisable to get the help of San Diego solar roofing professionals and other installation experts in order to avoid complications.
When the home runs on solar power, we can already claim that we really are pro-environment. The sun is a stable energy source, and using its energy to power light bulbs and appliances seems to have no harmful side effects.
Design the home in such a way that natural light is maximized
The need to light up a place during the day will be effectively eliminated if the windows and doors are properly designed to let as much natural light in as possible. Doing this allows us to not only save on power bills but also be closer to nature. After all, no matter how bright an artificial light source, we can never compare it to the illumination that only natural light can give.
Take advantage of rainwater harvesting
There is no doubt that water is the most important resource this planet has to offer. We can all go for days without food, but we cannot survive just two days without water. Given its importance, we must learn to make wise use of water all the time.
One thing that we can do to not waste water is to collect rain and use it for tasks such as washing the car, watering the plants, and even flushing toilets. There are professionals who specialize in setting up rainwater harvesting systems, and we can always ask for their help to have one installed in our homes.
Incorporating pro-environment elements into the design of our homes can be challenging. It might even cost more than usual. But let us all be comforted by the fact that doing this will not only allow us to save money in the long run, but it will also help us conserve the Earth–the only livable planet that we have.