Posts Tagged ‘eco house’

Why an Eco House?

An Eco house is cost effective. Building a new home is rather expensive and time consuming; therefore before we start the process we should carefully consider many aspects connected with it. We have to think not only about issues related to convenience, cost of construction and subsequent maintenance, but also the impact that the new building will have on the environment.

Detailed calculations show that construction is the industry that consumes the most energy. Some time ago almost no one bothered with whether the house is built environmentally friendly or not. The only factor taken into account was cost, not the long-term consequences of choosing particular materials. Fortunately, the situation has changed. Nowadays, there are many technologies that enable considerable reduction of energy consumption. Such solutions are usually more expensive than the conventional ones, but the investment pays off – the extra money is recovered after several years of monthly savings on energy charges.

What to pay attention to when willing to build an eco friendly house?

The most important issue is good thermal insulation. The most popular insulation materials are: polystyrene and mineral wool. The main advantage of polystyrene is being waterproof. Installation of appropriate windows is also extremely important. They should be tight and preferably triple glazed. Less popular materials that can also be used for insulation include: hemp, cork, and sheep’s wool. You should also remember when filling the space between the ceiling and the roof – glass wool or mineral wool are the most recommend.

What is Eco House?

An important aspect of an eco-house is the type of heating. The choice is important, as usually most of the energy used at home goes for heating. The most popular are furnaces or boilers. If you decide on that type of heating, make sure that you avoid heat loss from the duct system or piping. The less cost effective is electric resistance heating. In this case the electricity comes from oil, gas, or coal generators that convert only about 30% of the fuel’s energy into electricity. You can consider using some energy from renewable resources. In many cases active solar heating systems can be a good idea, but they usually require a back-up system that provides the additional heat. No matter what kind of heating you choose, invest in a programmable thermostat which enables you to turn down the heating at night and when you are at work.

Another thing to consider is the type of building material that you want to use. In some countries the houses made of natural materials – such as clay or straw – are getting popular. People often think that such buildings rot easily or are less durable; however it does not have to be the case. Houses made of clay and straw can be as durable as brick ones, but have several advantages. Firstly, they are built quicker – their construction can be finished within a month. Secondly, those houses are extremely warm as they retain heat better. What is important, the construction process itself is more environmentally friendly, as it requires only 2% of the energy used to build using cement.

All in all, when planning to build a new home, there are plenty of aspects that you should consider to make it as environmentally friendly as possible.

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