With drastic climate changes and exhausting energy sources, sustainable living has become the need of the hour. For centuries, human activities have deteriorated the quality of air, land, water and have exploited natural resources at dangerous rates. These activities have increased our ecological footprint. An ecological footprint is how much natural resources we consume to back a particular lifestyle.
It is very important to understand what an ecological footprint is to ensure sustainable development. Even using wood as a construction material increases one’s ecological footprint. A regular fancy house is just another concrete pocket that consumes a lot of energy. By adopting simple but impactful sustainable techniques for your abode, you can be a part of environment conservation. Real Estate Developers these days are also well aware of the need to bring down the energy consumption in houses. They take special care in adding features that promote sustainable living in their properties.
What Is Sustainable Housing?
Sustainable housing is all about reusing, recycling, reducing cost, generating less pollution, less consumption and less wastage. Environmental conservation is not the only goal of sustainable housing. It also aims at considering social as well as economical issues of housing. Such houses are affordable in the short term as well as long term. They also come in aesthetically pleasing and innovative designs.
Durable materials are used in the making of sustainable apartments, thus cutting the cost for repairs. Eco-friendly fabrics, restrooms that use less water, hardwood floorings, etc, are some of the commonly used techniques in sustainable housing. Since they are energy efficient and mostly rely on solar power, these houses ensure cheap living.
Here are some of the most efficient sustainable techniques for your apartment.
Energy-Saving Appliances
Energy-saving appliances require little energy to function and thus conserve energy. This energy can then be used for other purposes. These appliances can also lead to the conservation of natural resources such as natural gas, water, oil, etc. Since they do not give out emissions, they contribute significantly to pollution control. Not only are they eco-friendly, but they also save money. Washers and dryers that use little water, low flow showerheads, solar-powered fans can all be assets in your sustainable apartment.
Reflective Roofs
The demand for electricity and the extreme atmospheric conditions have led to the increased significance of reflective roofs. A normal roof is made with non-reflective, heat-absorbing materials. As a result, they increase the temperature in the house. On the contrary, reflective roofs extend the life of roofs and provide a protective layer. This layer reflects the UV light and helps keep the roof from degrading. It, therefore, keeps the roof cool. Since they delay degradation, the frequency of replacement is also brought down. The best of all advantages is how it brings down the rate of energy consumption by removing artificial air conditioning from the picture.
Low VOC Paints
VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compounds that are present in almost all brands of paint. These compounds diffuse into the air and hamper its quality, thus affecting people’s health. They are used as fungicides and to delay weathering of the paint. But low VOC or no VOC paints are now available in the market. They are less toxic, easy to clean and are manufactured from natural raw materials such as essential oils, wax, plant dyes, etc. They do not affect the air quality and produce no odour.
Energy-Efficient Lighting
A huge amount of home budget is spent on lighting our houses. The amount of light we use has an impact on our environment, economy, safety and health. Energy-efficient light bulbs can produce the same amount of light by consuming very little energy. CFLs and LED lamps are the most popular choices of energy-efficient lamps. CFLs produce less heat and consume less energy. LED lamps consume less energy and produce no heat at all. When combined with motion sensors that can control them based on human presence, these lamps will definitely make a huge impact on utility bill as well as the environment.
Sustainable Water Practices
Water is an exhaustible resource that is being depleted at an enormous rate. Every time you stay under shower for an hour or you wash your ride every day with gallons of water, you are paving the way to the depletion of the freshwater that is available to us. There are so many ways to put an end to this. Low flow showerheads can bring down the consumption of water by 40 per cent without compromising on the pressure. Since there is less water involved, less heat is required to heat the water. This, in turn, results in lesser carbon dioxide emissions.
Low flush toilet, which is widely available in the market, is another efficient practice that can be used to conserve water. It uses less amount of water to remove waste. These toilets depend on gravity and pressure more than it does on water thus bringing down water consumption. Also, cutting down on unnecessary usage of water will turn out successful.
Author Bio
This article is written in support of Adroit Urban Developers, one of the best real estate builders in Chennai, who have several residential properties for sale in Chennai. They offer affordable apartments with state-of-the-art amenities in areas like Sholinganallur and Thalambur.