Bizarre Home Constructions That Are Great For The Environment
Just about everyone nowadays understands the importance of going green whenever it’s possible; people are recycling, eating vegan, and doing all sorts of things to help reduce their environmental footprint. However, some people take it to a whole other level, building their homes with some bizarre materials in the name of saving the environment. These strange home construction materials can help you save money, reduce your carbon footprint, and create shockingly beautiful homes that protect the environment.
Pre-fabricated Perfection
When most people think of pre-fabricated homes, the mental image isn’t necessarily the most flattering. However, there are plenty of prefab homes that are both gorgeous and environmentally friendly. Several successful companies now exist that design and build pre-fabricated luxury homes for those looking to reduce their overall footprint.
How are pre-fabricated homes more energy efficient? Believe it or not, modular constructions reduce energy consumption during the building process by around 67% and reduce energy costs later on for occupants. Additionally, modular construction reduces waste created during the building process, since pieces are designed to fit the individual structure.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
One person’s trash is another person’s treasure, and this can be just as applicable to home construction materials. People all over the world have taken to building their homes with a wide variety of recycled material, from recycled steel, salvaged wood, and even plastic waste. Because these materials are repurposed and don’t require additional energy to produce, they can be an excellent green home-building option.
Additionally, these recycled materials get to be used in a constructive way, rather than sitting in a landfill. Better to have plastic bottles become part of someone’s home and not ocean pollution, especially when the world already makes and consumes about 600 billion pounds of plastic yearly.
Hidden Hobbit-Inspired Homes
Some folks look to works of fiction as an inspiration for their homes, and this is especially true for those building homes constructed from dirt and earth. Some eco-friendly homes are either constructed entirely of earth or dug into the side of a hill to create an earth-sheltered home. While these homes might be the most unique-looking of the bunch, their energy impact is also incredibly remarkable.
Due to the unique construction and positioning of windows in many of these homes, as well as the insulating properties of the earth used for construction, these homes are incredibly energy efficient when it comes to heating. Heating your home uses more energy and costs more money than any other system in your home, typically making up about 42% of your utility bill. However, this is not the case for these unique structures; many of these homes rely on passive solar heating, which cuts into energy bills dramatically and reduces the need to use excess energy to heat the building.
While many of these home-building methods may be a bit too extreme for the average homeowner, there are still many principles that these building types use that can be helpful in the average home. If you’re looking to reduce your environmental impact in your existing home, make sure to reduce your overall waste output, recycle materials that you are able to, and pay attention to how energy is used within your home.
