From MoneyControl.com – With the constant chatter about sustainable real estate in general and green homes in particular, you may wonder what the deal really is. Why live in a green home? Are conventional homes not good enough?
There are very good reasons why more and more buyers are opting for green homes.To begin with, green homes are designed and constructed in a manner which reduces their impact on the environment. The wastes produced during construction seriously degrade the quality of the environment. In fact, buildings in general are responsible for close to 40 percent of the world’s Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. This directly impacts global warming, which is a major concern now. And yes, it affects all of us.
The evils of environmental damage
Have you noticed that every new summer seems to be hotter than the previous one? Have you noticed that our winters are now warmer than ever before? That is the greenhouse effect at work.
The greenhouse effect is a destructive process in which atmospheric greenhouse gases absorb thermal radiation from the Earth’s surface. This radiation is then re-radiated everywhere on the planet’s surface and into the lower atmosphere, thereby raising the average surface temperature abnormally.
The greenhouses gases being referred to here are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and ozone. Methane and carbon dioxide produced in massive amounts during the normal real estate construction process.
The resulting buildings continue to generate these gases just by being used, because they have not been designed, built and are not being operated to have a lower environmental impact.
Green homes – and you
If all this sounds too disconnected with your personal concerns, you should know that there is a lot more to green buildings than just lower environmental damage. People who live in green homes actually enjoy better health, a higher quality of life and a lower cost of daily living!
Yes, that’s right. Green buildings are around 2530% more efficient in their energy consumption, because they get at least 2 percent of the energy they consume from renewable or green sources such as solar power generators. This reduces the demand for normal electricity and also the pollution levels around the green homes project.
Also, green buildings use around 2030% less water than conventional buildings, reducing the water bills. In fact, most of the water used in green buildings is treated and can then be used for landscaping and air conditioning. But that’s not all.
The materials used in the construction of green home projects last a lot longer than the conventional ones. In other words, they help save on the cost of replacement, repair and maintenance. This is one of the main reasons why resale homes in green buildings fetch a much better price than normal ones.
Finally, green homes have superior ventilation systems which bring in fresh outdoor air instead of recycling used-up indoor air. In other words, you breathe cleaner air in a green home.
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