By using eco-friendly building materials for your home, you can reduce your environmental impact.
Building an eco-friendly home is a great way to reduce your environmental impact and save on energy costs. There are many options to customize your green home in Houston, Texas. Recycled and eco-friendly building materials are more popular and accessible than ever. You can often use green materials to create a traditional look while still living an eco-friendly lifestyle. By implementing renewable energy sources and energy-efficient household appliances, you can not only decrease demand on natural resources but also reduce utility bills. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Buy land in a location that is close to work or school or easily accessible to mass transit. When looking for a place to build your home, keep in mind your family's daily commute to work or school. Building your home in a place that is close to both will decrease your fuel cost and the environmental impact of your lifestyle. If you cannot find a suitable location close to work and school, look for land along a mass transit line. Houston has several bus lines to the outer suburbs for commuters and a light rail train in the city center. If public transit is easily accessible, then you will be much more likely to use it.
2. Use eco-friendly materials for the exterior of the home. Recycled materials and efficiently manufactured materials are perfect for eco-friendly homes. These materials include recycled metal, glass and plastic, repurposed wood (wood that is salvaged from old structures), cob (a mixture of clay, sand, dirt, straw and water), cork and bamboo. Cork and bamboo grow very rapidly, making both materials renewable resources.
3. Utilize eco-friendly materials for the interior. Many of the same materials used in the exterior of the home can be used on the interior. Bamboo is frequently carved into hardwood floors, creating a traditional look without the environmental expense. Cork and recycled glass can be crafted into tile for flooring or countertop accents. Recycled glass and repurposed wood can be transformed into beautiful countertops, cabinets and furniture.
4. Energy-efficient appliances can reduce your utility costs.
Equip your home with renewable energy sources and energy-efficient appliances. Houston gets plenty of sun, so placing solar panels on your roof can reduce your energy costs. Choosing the most energy-efficient appliances, such as dishwashers, water heaters and washers and dryers, can also cut your utility bills because they need less energy and water than conventional appliances to complete the same task. To ensure that your appliances are efficient, check to see that they are Energy Star certified, which means that an appliance has met the efficiency standards set out by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy.
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