How to Build Green & Energy Efficient Homes
An energy efficient home is one that maintains low energy costs and reduces energy, heating and cooling waste. Use recycled building materials in the construction of the home and you have a property that is both energy efficient and green. You can find post-consumer materials at home improvement stores, hardware stores and online. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Zoning permits
- Recycled construction materials
- Solar panels
- Insulation
- Double-glazed windows
- Heating and cooling systems
Instructions
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Green Materials and Construction
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Use recycled materials in the construction of your house. Build your home using recycled bricks as well as steel and aluminum building materials, which are available from manufacturers who specialize in post-consumer building construction materials. Other recycled building materials include masonry ceramics and heavy timber, both of which can be salvaged and re-cut.
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Obtain recycled glass and plastics from the recycling industry. Glass can be melted and reused in the manufacturing of windows. Use recycled plastic as part of the core structural materials or for insulation.
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Utilize recovered waste material as part of your cement mixture. Mix fly ash, which is the material that is left-over after coal is burned, with sand and gravel to replace up to 35 percent of the cement needed to mix concrete. Use the mixture to repair cracked or damaged pavements or to lay a new layer of concrete down over a driveway. Contact a coal-fired power plant in your area to ask for left-over fly ash.
Energy Efficiency
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Install solar panels to transfer energy from the sun into electricity. Solar electricity cells are available in an assortment of panel sizes and can be combined to create a solar electricity system. Solar panels will reduce your electricity bill and may help the fight against climate change, according to the Clean Energy Ideas website
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Install solar water heating panels to supply your house with hot water in the kitchen and bath as well as any outdoor swimming pools.
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Use proper insulation to minimize heat loss through the walls and the roof.
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Install energy efficient windows, which are double and triple-glazed to stop energy loss. Other benefits of installing energy efficient windows include minimizing sunlight inside the home and reducing the formation of condensation.
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Install heating and cooling systems that offer geothermal heating and cooling or hydronic heating technology, which are more energy efficient than HVAC systems.
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Improve indoor air quality and increase ventilation using roof vents and air filtration systems.
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Tips & Warnings
You may be eligible for a tax credit if you build an energy efficient house.
Zoning permits are required to build a house.
References
- Photo Credit money money money image by Arman Zhenikeyev from Fotolia.com
