Introduction
Human activity is accompanied by the emission of Carbon dioxide and an increase in the greenhouse effect, which worsens the situation with global warming. It ruins the balance of natural resources and threatens people and the environment. Sustainable homes are one of the possible solutions that can help solve global environmental problems and reduce the negative human impact. Sustainable homes are energy efficient, environmentally friendly, comfortable to live in, and less harmful to the environment. When designing sustainable homes, the main goal is to reduce the negative impact on the environment through the efficiency of the house and the use of safe building materials, alternative energy sources, and less building space. Thus, sustainable houses have several distinctive features that determine their advantages over other houses.
General Characteristics of Sustainable Homes
The sustainability of homes is determined by three main characteristics, which include environmental, social, and economic aspects. First, the home must be designed to reduce carbon emissions and conserve water and energy. In addition, the ‘sustainability’ of the house means reducing the amount of waste during the construction of the house and its operation. Secondly, houses have built-in security features that help keep the occupants safe and reduce crime in the neighborhood. In addition, a sustainable home is easily adapted to the needs and requirements of the person living in it. Finally, economic sustainability means saving the financial resources spent on building, operating, and maintaining a home.
Planning for sustainable homes considers many factors that help reduce the cost of maintaining a home and avoid the need for regular repairs and maintenance. However, the main factor determining the ‘sustainability’ of the house is to minimize the negative impact on the environment at all stages of construction and residence. Therefore, all designer solutions and materials used should contribute to the home’s sustainability (Shaikh, 2021). It includes selecting building materials, making the home energy efficient, and finding alternative energy sources.
Specific Features of Ecological Sustainability
Building Materials
The choice of building materials for sustainable homes is one of the most critical stages of construction. The selected materials must be non-toxic and safe for the environment and humans, but at the same time, strong enough. For example, wood provides good insulation characteristics, retains heat, and thus allows long-term energy savings and natural air conditioning. However, it is crucial to consider that some natural materials can be treated with harmful substances, significantly reducing their advantages over disadvantages.
In addition, it is better to choose local manufacturers of building materials. It helps to avoid environmental pollution during transportation and contributes to the development of the local economy. Furthermore, chosen building materials must comply with the principles of Life Cycle Design (Singh, 2018). It means that the process remained environmentally friendly at all stages of the production of materials.
During construction, it is necessary to monitor the amount of construction waste carefully and, if necessary, send it for recycling. In addition, the house’s stability is enhanced by the correct attitude toward the material during construction (Amaral et al., 2020). With the right approach and planning, natural materials are characterized by durability and strength. It allows you to optimize the environmental and economic aspects of the sustainability of the house by eliminating the need for frequent repairs.
Heating and Cooling Systems
In conventional homes, heating and cooling systems can be quite an energy intensive. Sustainable homes use natural heating and cooling methods to avoid using excessive amounts of energy to keep the house at an optimal temperature. Sustainable homes are designed in such a way as to get the maximum benefit from the features of their location. Therefore, solar energy is most often used to heat them. With proper planning and zoning, solar energy can provide optimal temperatures inside a home.
Natural resources, such as the shade of trees, can be used for cooling (Singh, 2018, p. 109). Furthermore, it is vital to ensure the house’s ventilation, which can be achieved partly through suitable building materials. Typically, ventilation in stable houses is provided by many windows. However, when designing a ventilation system in a house, it is essential to consider factors such as “the speed of wind, humidity and moisture content of air” (Shaikh, 2021, p. 771). Furthermore, installing a smart thermostat is a profitable investment when building sustainable homes. Although thermostats may seem expensive at first glance, they help to optimize the heating and cooling processes of the home, and as a result, bring significant economic benefits.
Insulation
Reducing the house’s energy consumption necessarily goes through the implementation of good thermal insulation. Therefore, it is essential to consider the various elements of heat loss, particularly those that generate the most critical losses. Depending on the country and climate, insulation from cold or heat will be more or less critical. The best sustainable practices in building houses are considered to be the use of natural insulating building materials and insulating techniques. In icy areas such as mountainous areas, special functions can be added to ensure the house’s thermal insulation. For instance, an entrance hall limits heat transfer when the main door is opened, doors isolate corridors, and different types of floors concentrate heat.
Energy Supply
One of the key features of sustainable homes is a sustainable energy supply that does not harm the environment. As Shaikh (2021) notes, in conventional homes, residents “depend primarily on non-renewable sources of energy” (p.771). However, sustainable houses differ because they use alternative energy sources for energy supply. This problem is often solved by installing solar systems that allow you to get electricity by accumulating sunlight. In addition, sustainable homes predominantly use daylighting to help control and reduce energy consumption. Moreover, all devices are also aimed at saving electricity consumption.
Solar Systems
The most commonly used energy optimization option is the installation of solar panels. However, the possibilities of their use are highly dependent on the characteristics of the climate and landscape. Before installing solar systems, it is necessary to calculate how much energy is needed for comfortable living in the house. After that, it is crucial to ensure that the amount of energy received from solar systems will be sufficient. Shaikh (2021) notes that installing solar panels will only be effective if the amount of energy received is in line with the requirement of the residents of a sustainable home. Otherwise, it is necessary to provide alternative sources of energy supply to the house.
Water Efficiency
The wise and efficient use of water is part of building sustainable homes. According to Singh (2018), houses should be designed to focus “on conserving water both indoors and out” (p. 108). Purification and use of rainwater contribute to a significant reduction in its costs. Rainwater is suitable for irrigation and domestic use. In addition, in some cases, it is possible to reuse water, for example, by connecting the water supply system of the sink and toilet. Thus, the water used for handwashing can be reused to flush the toilet.
Improved Overall Home Energy Efficiency
Using alternative energy sources like solar panels is one way to generate clean energy and reduce your home’s carbon footprint. However, in addition to this, different design methods can be used to reduce energy consumption inside the house. It is possible to reduce your home’s energy use “through taking advantage of the building site and climate attributes” (Singh, 2018, p. 109). One of the popular solutions today is passive houses, which use the sun and landscape features for heating and cooling.
Using specialized equipment helps reduce heating costs and makes energy consumption more environmentally friendly. Double glazing and massive shutters provide excellent protection against cold and noise. In addition, rainwater harvesting systems or toilets that minimize water consumption are good ways to conserve water.
Conclusion
Thus, sustainable houses have specific qualities that guarantee their advantages over other houses. Proper selection of building materials, efficient energy supply, insulation, and other measures to reduce the energy costs required for comfortable living in the house are critical indicators for its environmental friendliness. In addition, these aspects also affect a home’s economic sustainability by reducing the financial resources needed to build and maintain a home. Moreover, sustainable homes are socially oriented and individually designed to meet the needs of their residents. All these factors make sustainable homes one of the most optimal places to live, reducing the negative impact of human activities on the environment.
References
Amaral, R. E., Brito, J., Buckman, M., Drake, E., Ilatova, E., Rice, P.,… & Abraham, Y. S. (2020). Waste management and operational energy for sustainable buildings: a review. Sustainability, 12(13), 1-21.
Singh, C. S. (2018). Green construction: analysis on green and sustainable building techniques. Civil Engineering Research Journal, 4(3), 107-112.
Shaikh, A. (2021). Sustainable Eco homes. International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews, 2(11), 769-772.