With growing concerns around climate change, the demand for eco-friendly houses is also rising. 

More and more property buyers today are becoming environmentally conscious and are actively looking for homes that reduce their carbon footprint. People no longer want just a concrete structure. They want homes that offer proper open space, allow natural sunlight, and help them save on electricity bills, too.

In India, the government is even promoting the construction of sustainable and green homes. It helps to reduce emissions, conserve natural resources, and encourage healthier living.

These eco friendly homes are designed to use energy efficiently, save water, and minimize waste, making them a smart and responsible choice for the future.

What Is An Eco-Friendly House?

An eco-friendly house, or a green home, is constructed with eco-friendly and natural materials that have a low impact on the environment. 

Eco-homes are designed to reduce the carbon footprint, lower energy needs, and promote a sustainable way of living.

In the construction of these houses, renewable resources and sustainable techniques are used. These are solar energy, a water conservation system, and natural insulation material. These techniques help to reduce electricity use and promote recycling and the reuse of materials.

They also focus on improving indoor air quality by avoiding harmful chemicals and gases, like volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These chemicals and gases can affect human health, with features like energy-saving systems and water-efficient setups. Eco-friendly houses can save up to 30% of energy and 50% of water.

What To Look For When You’re Building Your Eco-Friendly Home/House?

1. Find The Right Location

Select an appropriate location for your house. The place should have better sunlight and air. Make sure the area has good airflow so your house stays cool naturally, reducing the need for fans or AC. Avoid areas that are prone to floods or soil erosion, as they can cause long-term problems.

2. A Power-Efficient Design

Eco-friendly houses need to be designed with perfect ventilation, ensuring that heat and moisture are maintained in the building. For proper power efficiency, you need to design the insulation point. The insulation material should be eco-friendly, such as wood fiber, cellulose, and cotton. A proper glass window also helps with a neutral ventilation process in the houses.

An efficient and effective design should be developed by an architect. Additionally, consider using smart glass to help reflect ultraviolet rays.

3. Use Sustainable Materials

Sustainable materials, such as renewable, recyclable, and biodegradable materials, are not harmful to the environment. During the construction of a green home or house, it is essential to use eco-friendly building materials, such as bamboo, cork, wool, steel, and plastics. These materials also have a smaller carbon footprint.

4. Install Water Conservation Systems

For an eco-friendly house or green home, installing a water conservation system helps to make your house more sustainable. For the water conservation system, you can install a rainwater harvesting system to prevent rainwater runoff.

Also, installing low-flow faucets, showerheads, and greywater recycling helps to save water.

5. Incorporate Renewable Energy Sources

Renewable energy, such as sun, wind, biomass, and water, is known as green and clean energy. These sources rarely emit carbon footprints or greenhouse gases. 

To use solar energy, you need to install a solar panel to generate electricity. You can use batteries to store energy to use in the evenings. The solar system helps you reduce your electricity bill.

A biomass system helps to provide heating or boiled water by burning organic substances, like wood. These generate less carbon than fossil fuels.

6. Advanced Technology-Based Equipment

To make your home more sustainable, you need to add advanced technology-based equipment. A thermostat helps minimise energy use by adjusting the heating and cooling process. Smart lighting control, automated lighting, and energy-efficient appliances.

7. Recycle And Minimise The Waste

During and after construction, make sure to recycle materials like glass, metal, and paper. We need to recycle or reuse materials such as plastics, papers, and glass. And to minimise the waste, we need to overcome consumption, reuse items, and compost. For example, use cloth bags, reuse glass jars, and more. Food waste can also be used for composting, which contains rich nutrients for the plants.

8. Energy Efficient Lighting

Lighting has a direct impact on energy resources. Use of LED or CFL bulbs reduces the energy consumption. Maximizing natural lighting helps reduce energy consumption and is cost-effective.

9. Get Green Building Certification

Certification for green homes is not mandatory, but it can be beneficial for your property if it meets the basic requirements, such as being validated against specific sustainability and energy efficiency standards. 

You may get certificates from 

• LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
• IGBC (Indian Green Building Council)
• NGBS (National Green Building Standard)

There are many other agencies that provide green home certifications.

Benefits Of Eco-Friendly Houses

1. Cost-effective

The construction of eco-friendly houses is a cost-effective option. In the construction of traditional houses, a lot of waste materials are generated. Maintenance costs for traditional construction also add to the cost as a burden. However, eco-friendly houses are cost-effective as they need less maintenance than traditional constructions.

2. Energy-efficient

Eco-friendly houses are built to save energy. They often use solar panels and smart thermostats, which help lower electricity bills and let you control lights, fans, and other appliances remotely. These smart systems make the home more efficient and reduce your overall power usage.

3. Reducing Carbon Footprint

Carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide and methane, released into the atmosphere through our daily activities. An eco-friendly house helps reduce this impact by using less energy, relying on clean energy sources, and choosing eco-friendly building materials. All of this helps lower the release of harmful gases into the environment.

4. Water Conservation

Nowadays, water scarcity is a significant concern for humans due to inadequate water management systems. Green homes help to improve the water management system by installing smart equipment. A low-flow faucet and a rainwater harvesting system help with water conservation.

5. Low Maintenance

Eco-friendly house materials are durable and long-lasting. It requires less maintenance and has a lower environmental impact.

Challenges Of Eco-Friendly Houses In India

1. High Initial Investment Cost

Due to the use of the latest techniques, the initial installation cost is higher. Due to higher initial costs, many people avoid converting their traditional homes into eco-friendly homes.

2. Take Much Time To Build

Eco-friendly homes take more time to construct than traditional homes. Before construction, you need to design a well-structured blueprint for the green homes. The construction period for eco-friendly houses can be three years or more.

3. Not Easy To Find Skilled Labour And The Right Materials

Eco-friendly house construction is a new rising technique. Many labourers are not familiar with it, so finding the right person or labour for the construction is also a challenge. However, some builders or architectural consultants offer experienced labourers for the construction.

Obtaining the right materials is also a challenge in constructing eco-friendly houses. The unique materials are not available everywhere. Sometimes, it needs to be shipped, and it takes a lot of time from other places.

4. Not Suitable For Hot Areas

Hot areas are a challenge for green homes. It uses solar panels that create feasible energy and generate a small amount of heat. In hot areas, the ventilation system does not work properly, which makes the eco-friendly homes warmer.

5. To Find The Right Location

The search for the right location for eco-friendly houses is also a big challenge. Weather and climatic situations can impact green homes. It also uses solar panels that need sunlight. If there are variations in the sunlight, it creates a problem for the owner.

Conclusion

An eco-friendly house, or a sustainable home, is an effective way to build a home that is energy-efficient and suitable for humans, animals, and environmental health. If you want to convert your home and living space, then you need to consider some factors, such as location, sustainable materials, energy efficiency, water conservation, and waste management, before construction. 

You may also take an expert’s suggestion to build an eco-friendly house.