The emerging trend of a sustainable or an energy efficient house has become so popular among Keralites that not only architects, but also home owners are looking at all means to make their home a green one. Making your house a green home doesn’t restrict you to just using energy efficient devices such as solar panels, solar water heaters etc. It’s more than that! It starts right from planning the design of your house.
Read further and find out what all features you can incorporate into your house design for a green living.
1. A Reasonably Sized House
To follow the green route, it is always recommended to go for a small or medium sized house. A reasonably sized house gives you a sustainable form of living as it comes with a lot of benefits from being earth friendly to not making you spend a fortune on your dream. It is not just a myth. Reports show that a house approximately sized 2000SF results in the release of over 16,000lbs of CO2 pollution annually, while a tiny home releases only 1,114lbs of CO2.
2. Energy Efficient Windows and Doors
Make sure your design plan includes windows at the north side of the house. For doors and windows, opt for materials that provide the right amount of insulation and sealing.
- Choose materials for the doors that give proper sealing to your house with minimum air leakage.
- Insulated glass for your windows, white window shades, blinds help in providing a cooler atmosphere inside your house even in hot summers.
- Although a little more expensive than regular glass, it is a sustainable method of saving energy down the road.
3. Big Skylights
- Skylights provide good ventilation to your house and are a major source of lighting during the day.
- Place the skylight in your house in such a way that the right amount of sunlight is received.
4. Roofing
There are plenty of eco-friendly roofing options that support sustainability and your budget. Some of them are:
- Cool roofs: Cool roofs reflect ultraviolet light from the sun and, as the name suggests, provide a cooling effect. They last longer than other types of roofing materials.
- Green roofs : The green roofs are way cooler than their beauty . By living vegetation on the roofs, an additional insulation is provided to the house and can reduce energy consumption.
- Wood shakes: You can choose wooden shakes for your roofing if you are looking for the most durable and strongest roofing option.
5. Exteriors
The exteriors of your house have a huge impact on the interior temperature of your home.
- Go for clay or mud blocks for construction instead of bricks.
- Always opt for lighter colors for the exterior walls to stick to your green plan.
6. Flooring
A common mistake people make is that they fail to look at flooring as a factor that can make your home an energy efficient house. The materials used for flooring too, influences the temperature of your house.
- For flooring, instead of mosaic tiles, switch to simple kota or clay tiles and build an eco-friendly house.
- Try to avoid carpeting as it reduces the house’s heat releasing capacity.
7. Blend With Nature
What else can make your dream home a green home than blending your house with nature?
- While designing your house, have a plan for the garden and landscape.
- Grow tall trees in the west or south side of the house as it reduces heat considerably.
- Grow a lawn in the terrace for providing an extra layer of protection from sunlight.
Made up your mind to build a green home? Then, don’t forget to include the above features while planning the design of your house and make yours a sustainable house. These designs might vary depending on the location, availability of materials and other factors. So, we always recommend you to consult an architect to get a lot more insights on green friendly designs. There are many listing platforms available online like Zenys, Houzz etc where you can search architects and choose the best architect based on your location and taste.
If you want to get notifications on more blogs on similar topics related to home designs and sustainable houses follow Zenys Facebook and Instagram page.