An eco-friendly house is a house comprises of the following features:
- It respects the environment,
- Further, it is made from non-toxic materials,
- In addition, it is energy efficient. Further, this is both in its construction and use.
However, new technologies and construction methods constantly change the concept of an “eco-friendly home”.
· Its design: The house must be in harmony with its surrounding. Moreover, this should be from the moment the blueprints are drawn up.
· Its construction: The selected materials should be natural. At the same time, they should be recyclable and non-pollutant.
· Appliances: The electrical appliances should reduce energy consumption of the home.
Therefore, the objectives of an eco-friendly house are;
- to produce the least number of pollutants,
- reduce any losses of energy,
- to save money.
Different Types of Sustainable Houses
There are different types of eco-friendly houses. For example,
- bioclimatic,
- passive,
- wooden,
- eco-friendly cement,
- brick,
- tiny houses.
An Eco-Friendly House – Bioclimatic Houses
You can identify a Bioclimatic house by using natural resources from their environment. For instance, the location and geographical position of the bioclimatic home are very important. For instance,
- The sun to warm the house. At the same time, it will be with southern-facing windows.
- Heavy tree cover to provide shade to certain rooms.
Therefore, these types of homes use little energy. Moreover, they are pleasant to live in.
Passive Houses
A passive house has a very low-energy consumption. Their distinctive feature is producing nearly all their heating needs through the sun’s energy. Moreover, the appliances within the house also use the sun’s energy. Therefore, they must be very well insulated. In addition, over half of their windows should be southern facing.
An Eco-Friendly House – Wooden Houses
It is essential to choose natural and sustainable construction materials to build an eco-friendly home. Wood is the most used material for this reason. Furthermore, it is natural, renewable and generally originating in sustainably managed forests. Furthermore, it is a very good insulator.
However, wood can be replaced with other materials. For example,
- Eco-friendly cement;
- Brick or compacted blocks of earth.
Unprocessed, these materials respect the concept of “sustainable architecture“. At the same time, they minimise the impact of the eco-friendly house on the planet. This is from the construction phase up until their final lifespan of recycling.
Tiny Houses
These are small eco-friendly wooden houses built on a trailer. They have many important financial advantages:
- An affordable construction price: When self-built, a tiny house costs around $15-20,000.
- A low usage cost: With an average surface area of 15m, 2 small houses consume very little energy. In addition, they encourage minimalistic behaviour.
Characteristics of an Eco-Friendly House
Eco-friendly houses aim to minimise the environmental impact of their construction. Similarly, they minimise their use. Therefore, the appliances used in an eco-friendly house should also respect the principles of “sustainable architecture”. As an example, they should be environmentally friendly. At the same time, they should reduce energy consumption. When choosing appliances for the house, innovative and sustainable technology is preferred. For instance, geothermal energy and solar energy.
