Sustainable homes: 5 tips for creating sustainable and eco-friendly homes

Energy saving, sustainable materials and waste reduction are some of the steps to give more life to the home, in tune with the care of the environment.

Making the most of natural resources, using products that minimize energy consumption and incorporating long-lasting materials to reduce waste are some of the strategies for planning a sustainable home.

In recent times, concern about the environmental impact and awareness of climate change has changed the way of life of millions of people in the United States, Puerto Rico and around the world, which gradually contributed to the idea of building sustainable homes like this example in the city of Austin, Texas.

In many cases, the concept is only related to designs executed under the principles of bioclimatic architecture, but it is also possible to reconvert a home and use materials that optimize natural resources. In addition, it is key to take into account these tips to also save energy.

“In any place you can have a sustainable home, whether in the city or in rural areas, as long as natural resources are optimized, quality materials are used that result in a longer useful life to reduce costs and waste, or they are reused. Everyone can contribute and take actions from their homes that in the future will lead to a more sustainable lifestyle for social welfare”, explains Mariía del Mar Danuzzo, in charge of commercial architecture at Familia Bercomat.

5 keys to have a sustainable house

From the construction company in Austin they detail that when starting to build a house under this modality, there are five keys that should be taken into account:

• Evaluate the environment: the basis for a sustainable house is that it must be designed to minimize the consumption of non-renewable energy and use construction materials that interfere as little as possible with the aggression to the planet. Therefore, when buying a plot of land, one should think about the surrounding area, that is, if it will be possible to extract solar energy, if it rains to take advantage of the water and if it has spaces to create green areas for harvesting, composting or simple connection with nature, in order to take care of the physical and mental health.
• Use materials that contribute to environmental protection. A sustainable home should include thermal insulation in ceilings and walls, toilets with a maximum flush of 5 liters, aerators in faucets so that the water comes out oxygenated and less power is needed, rainwater irrigation systems, solar panels to take advantage of energy, lighting with LED lamps and everything that helps to reduce maintenance and optimize natural resources.
• Examine costs in depth. Although in principle it takes a greater investment, maintenance is much lower, that is, it is recovered over time and in turn an excellent comfort is achieved in addition to contributing to the care of the planet, ecosystems and society in general, so it is not comparable to the money when we talk about the benefits, protection and responsibility.
• Transforming the home into a sustainable home. Although it may seem impossible it is not, a house built far from the sustainable or ecological concept, you can start incorporating external elements, in principle, such as solar panels, aerators in faucets and reused materials and long durability. This is already a big step towards a greener and more efficient future.
• Dimensioning the benefits to the health of themselves and those around them. There is something much more beyond the costs that can be saved in public services, an example of this are the fires suffered in Corrientes, due to global warming, added to acts of human irresponsibility. How much a family loses if their home burns down? How much health problems can cause the smoke that is breathed? These are incalculable figures, and everyone is responsible and must get involved, we must not think of it as an isolated fact but as a collaborative part of a better world that everyone needs, when we see it this way, the cost of a solar panel makes more sense and it is important to invest in it.

“Currently there are great advances in everyday life that, besides helping to protect ecosystems and biodiversity, also contribute to the access to drinking water in needy communities, so beyond the environmental impact, it is a collaborative work to ensure a better quality of life for citizens”, said the firm.

And they added: “The construction sector is not isolated from this and that is why from our place we work to contribute and contribute to improve social welfare from something as important as the home”.