Construction is one of the major contributors to environmental pollution, so many builders have started to consider a more sustainable home design approach as a way to reduce their carbon footprint. Many modern homes have begun to use technology to keep their emissions down, and tech companies have done an excellent job of keeping up with this growing demand for sustainable housing.
If you want to know a bit more about how to make your new home more sustainable, keep reading this great article, where we explain the role of technology in sustainable home design.
What is a Sustainable Home?
A sustainable home is a home that has been designed to use less energy, produce less emissions, and have a low impact on nearby nature. This can be done in many different ways if you are building from the ground up, but you can also implement many of these ideas into an existing home to create a smaller carbon footprint.
“These homes have started to become popular with new homebuyers who are looking to live in a modernized home that is great for the environment, and they will likely get more popular in the years to come,” says realtor Jeff Tricoli of Tricoli Team Real Estate.
Using Technology to Maintain a Sustainable Home
When you think about what typically constitutes a “green” home, you probably think it’s free of technology, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Homes still need heat, light, and essential maintenance, and technology is one of the best ways to keep your energy bills far lower than a typical home. Let’s explore a few different ways that a sustainable home can typically use technology to make its overall existence better for the environment.
Reducing Energy Consumption
One of the most common ways to keep your environmental impact down is to reduce the amount of energy that your home is taking up. Your energy bill will give you a good idea of how much you are using and how much it is costing you, but there are plenty of different ways you can take these numbers down. Let’s look at a few different things you can add to your home to reduce your energy consumption.
Smart lights
Upgrading your indoor or outdoor lighting system to a system that can be controlled via smartphone is an easy way to save some costs on your energy bills while reducing your overall emissions. These systems allow you to control each light individually (or all at once!) from wherever you are so you can keep your lights on when they are needed. No more worrying about what you left on when you went on vacation, and no more wasting money leaving lights on in areas of your home that aren’t being used.
Upgraded HVAC system
Your heating and cooling system is another fantastic thing to upgrade if you want to keep your energy emissions at a lower level. This is another system that can be easily controlled via smartphone, so you can adjust it from wherever you are, making it a great option for those who are often away or amidst a busy lifestyle, sometimes forget. There is also the added benefit of coming home to a pre-cooled or warmed-up house without having to have your HVAC system run all day.
Water consumption
Just like energy, many people have also started to be concerned about the amount of water their homes are using. The average home uses about 60 gallons of water per person every day, but there are so many different ways you can reduce that number. Take a look at a few of these great tech options that can help you reduce your water consumption and maintain a sustainable home.
Irrigation systems
Watering your lawn might be using up more water than you think. Irrigation systems have started to rely on technology to help them perform only when they are needed, which reduces quite a bit of excessive water use for large yards. Many systems are programmed with a simple timer, but new systems use wifi to check the weather and water your yard when it needs it instead of watering it when the timer goes off. If you have a big storm coming in, your irrigation system will turn off and allow the rain to water your yard naturally, which reduces water waste and helps your water bill.
Water Saving Appliances and Accessories
The kitchen and bathroom are two spots you should consider making adjustments if you want to keep your water consumption at a minimum. Consider replacing your showerhead and toilet with options that require less water. If you don’t have a dishwasher, you should consider getting one, as most ENERGY STAR-rated washers only use about 3 gallons of water for a load which is 24 gallons less than a typical hand-washed load of dishes.
Harvesting Natural Resources
People have also started to consider changes to their homes that rely on harvesting the resources around them, like sunlight or food. Check out a few great ideas you can use to benefit from what you have.
Learn to Grow Your Own
Planting a garden might seem like something that is more of a hobby than a major benefit, but some people have done an excellent job of using all of the space they have to produce their own crops. Food prices are rising all over the country, so consider growing some basics in your yard by using plant monitors. These little guys track what is needed in the soil, how often the plants should be watered, and humidity levels so you can get the most out of your outdoor garden.
Collect some Light
Solar panels used to be something that few could afford, but so many companies have started to put together affordable and easy-to-install packages that you can do yourself. Many of these packages give you a few small panels and instructions on how to use them as a separate electric system once the energy has been harvested. If you want to get into integrating solar energy into your regular electrical system, then you should talk to an expert that specializes in solar panels to make sure they are installed correctly and safely.
These are just a few ways that tech can be integrated into your daily life to help keep your home sustainable. These additions are a fantastic way to attract new buyers or keep your home running smoothly while you keep your bills down low.