When you are building a new home, you have the opportunity to make it more sustainable. Going green doesn’t just let you help the planet but reduces the overall cost of home ownership.
If you have been eyeing a Lakeview home in Shuswap, it’s your responsibility to maintain the surrounding serenity by lowering your carbon emissions. Let’s check out the best custom home features that can help you cut down on carbon emissions.
1. High-Performance Windows
Windows are an important element of your home. They allow in natural light, increase the aesthetic value of a room and regulate the temperature inside your home. That’s why you must invest in high-performance windows while building your new custom home. Unlike regular windows, high-performance or premium windows constitute double or triple-glazed windows.
A triple-glazed window has three panes of glass with insulating material and an inert gas between each pane. This makes the windows exceptionally efficient at regulating heat exchange. Triple-Glaze windows would keep your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Even if you get floor-to-ceiling windows, you won’t have to compromise for a high energy bill. Insist on efficient windows when you consult Shuswap home builders to pay less on the heating and cooling costs of your home while reducing the impact on global temperature rise.
2. Insulation
Proper insulation doesn’t just lower your carbon footprint. It also helps to keep your home quieter. If you cheap out on insulation, you’ll regret the fat energy bill and cold nights later on. Choose an insulation material that is sustainable and has a high R-value. Insulation materials with a high R-value are more expensive since they provide higher energy efficiency.
Apart from the R-value, ask about the environmental impact of the insulation material. For instance, polystyrene as a spray foam is an excellent insulation material. However, it is made from fossil fuels. Instead, opt for Icynene, an insulation made from castor oil. While both have similar R-values, icynene helps you go greener. The best construction companies in BC would recommend insulation materials that align with your needs. Hindbo Construction Group Inc is a reputable name among them.
3. Energy-efficient appliances
All the appliances and lighting in your home consume energy. When you build your custom home, opt for energy-efficient appliances and LED lights. While new appliances need to adhere to Canada’s Energy Efficiency regulations, it’s better to read the Energy Star label on appliances before buying them.
The label contains a rough annual estimation for the units of electricity the appliance will consume. When you’re considering modern features on your new refrigerator or television, take that figure into account as well. Energy-efficient appliances would deliver the same performance with less power or water use. On the other hand, LED lights consume a fraction of the power of incandescent bulbs. They also come in more variations.
4. Solar Panels
Salmon Arm gets close to 3000 hours of sunshine throughout the year. That’s why most custom home builders in Salmon Arm would recommend solar panels to offset your energy cost and reduce emissions. Similar to most other countries, Canada has also vowed to cut down on carbon emissions drastically and provides homeowners with tax credits and other incentives for installing solar panels.
Apart from issuing a small percentage of the installation cost as a grant and offering tax credits, you’ll also get interest-free loans for installing solar panels. If you’re building a home in the sunny parts of Canada, you can also sell that excess electricity to the grid for net-zero bills at the end of each month.
5. Shading with Landscape
The landscape also plays a vital role in making your home energy efficient and cutting down on emissions. You need to harness the power of mother nature and cleverly use trees, shrubs and plants to reduce your home’s environmental impact. You must place trees around your home to create a thick and wide canopy that provides ample shade. That helps to keep temperatures low in summer and blocks out some of the cold drafts during winter.
You can take one step further and be more strategic by planting deciduous trees. They provide shade during summer and shed their leaves to allow ample natural light and keep your home warm during the winter season. Some homeowners prefer to create windbreaks with a band of evergreen shrubs. All that greenery won’t just help you move toward a greener future but increases the value of your home.
The best custom home builders would recommend these features while building your new home. These features are simply the better choice since they help homeowners save more money in the long run. Cutting emissions and reducing your ecological footprint is a desirable side effect.
