Eco Homes 500
Eco homes mean many things to many people. From generating renewable
energy to reducing one's carbon footprint to conserving energy,
eco homes give people who are concerned about the environment,
global warming, climate change, living a healthier and greener
lifestyle and saving money a chance to express themselves by either
adding to their current house, or buying or building a new eco-friendly
home.
Let's talk about eco homes as renewable
energy generators first. Many people immediately think
solar, which is the most popular alternative method now
of generating electricity with one's house and saving
on utility bills. But, if your house is in the right location,
then your eco home could be producing electricity using
wind energy, geothermal or even microhydro (small hydroelectric
generators propelled by running water).
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Eco Home |
Solar panels on rooftops are becoming increasingly common in
many sunny locations. On more windy properties, wind turbines
are starting to dot the landscape. Geothermal energy can be used
in a couple of different ways depending upon the location of your
home. If you happen to have a piece of land and house that is
over a known geothermal field, then you may put this to use and
create electricity right in your own back yard.
Another way to use geothermal energy is a bit of the opposite
of what I have just described. Technically this would not be considered
geothermal but rather geological. You see a few feet below the
Earth's surface the temperature stays in the mid 50's consistently
summer or winter. If you happen to already have a water well on
your property, you could use an air pump to bring this cool air
into your eco home in the summer time and this will help with
the cooling bills.
Some people also use one or more wells to help circulate cool
water around their homes helping to cool it off in summer. If
you have geothermal (meaning hot water) on your property you can
use this hot water to heat your home in winter. The hot water
may also be used to turn a turbine or generator to create electricity.
Microhydro like I've already mentioned involves getting electricity
from running water. If you have a small stream or even waterfall
on your property, you may be able to take advantage of the moving
water to create electricity for your eco home.
Now, to switch gears a bit, those who want to buy, build or upgrade
to eco-friendly homes are also most often concerned about having
as small of a carbon footprint as possible. Some of this can be
accomplished by generating your own renewable energy. Some can
be accomplished by saving energy, which we'll get to later. And
another way to reduce your carbon footprint with eco homes is
to use earth-friendly building materials.
Underground Earth Sheltered Homes
Underground homes, earth-sheltered homes, earthbag homes, adobe
houses, mud brick houses, straw bale houses, bamboo homes, compressed
earth block homes are all alternative building and housing methods
that help a family reduce its carbon footprint. Some of the carbon
footprint reduction comes in the building materials such as using
straw for straw bale houses or dirt for compressed earth homes
and some comes from energy savings such as underground homes that
use Mother Earth's natural temperatures to insulate the dwelling.
There is also a tiny house movement afoot which is a rebellion
against the mansionization of America. By building and living
in small houses you naturally reduce your carbon footprint.
Some homeowners have turned to using recycled materials for their
homes. One such example is building a house out of used shipping
containers, the kind you find at seaports being transported over
oceans or large rivers. Other people recycle long haul truck beds
or train cars for their eco homes.
Still other people who own eco homes or want to are mostly concerned
with conserving energy. There are many easy ways to do this such
as changing to CFL or LED light bulbs, buying Energy Star or energy
saving appliances, insulating one's home, sealing off drafts.
Did you know that in many households a hair blower / dryer will
consume more electricity than an energy efficient refrigerator?
Smart grid and smart home technology will also help homeowners
over the next few years make their houses more eco-friendly. This
is especially true with software that is being developed that
will tell you which appliances in your home use the most electricity
and when. Is there an App for that? There are beginning to be
applications in this field and over the next few years even more
Apps will be on smart phones and computers.
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If you want to buy or build your dream
eco home, you'll have to decide for yourself whether to
go high tech, low tech or some combination.
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House made of recycled shipping containers |
An example of going low tech is to build an underground home.
An example of high tech is to put solar panels on your rooftop.
An example of eco homes that combine high and low tech would be
an underground home with a solar panel on top.
There are too many high tech and low tech combinations to mention.
The importance of eco homes however cannot be understated. Global
warming is real, pollution is real and giving too much money to
the utility companies is real.
Why don't you get started today in figuring out the most sensible
combination to buy, build or help turn your house into one of
the many eco homes that are in fashion these days? Remember going
green can save green and help the planet at the same time. This
makes your eco home a win-win for yourself and everyone else.
Need I say more?
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