Going green has become a trend of sorts these days, with many individuals opting to change their homes and lifestyles in order to become more environmental friendly. Many new houses built today also cater to green standards in different ways. If you are looking for such an environmental friendly home, here are some fabulous house hunting tips that would lead you to the green home of your dreams.
Hunt for a Green Real Estate Agent
Many real estate companies are now offering a range of environmental friendly housing options for individuals. Get in touch with such a green real estate agent who would be more familiar with the environmental friendly homes as well as green builders in the area. Your first step therefore, would be to get in touch with the right real estate agent in order to access all the green accommodation options in the region.
Check for Location
Reducing your carbon footprint is one of the many ways in which you can become environmental friendly. As such, you would need to find a house that helps you achieve this. A home located conveniently near schools, supermarkets, health care centers and your office would be a sound choice. This way, you would be able reduce the amount of fossil fuels spend on driving to these areas instead (in case they are far away).
Opt for Smaller Homes
A large home would mean more resources that would need to be used to build and maintain the same. Heating and cooling a large home in winter and summer respectively would place a big load on your power utility costs. Choosing a smaller home on the other hand, would enable you to save these resources. The more recent trend of many homeowners opting f micro homes proves this point. These houses are smaller than apartments but come decked with the latest in amenities and multipurpose furniture to help reduce the utilization of resources as well as save maintenance related costs.
Check the Construction Materials
If you are building a green home, you would need to consider the materials used for the same. Solid insulations with high R rating and windows with double panes would help you reduce power and maintenance related costs to a great extent. You can also ask around for energy companies that offer rebates on energy efficient appliances. Some companies also offer solar panels that you can use to produce your own power.
Check for Natural Lighting and Cross Draft Options
When planning to buy a green home, check for ones that have excellent natural lighting and cross draft options, as these would help reduce your power bills largely. Natural lighting will help brighten up areas without needing to switch on the light while cross draft options would help allow cool air enter the home at night. Also, make it a point to check for landscaping options that help block the sun’s rays to an extent in the hot summer. For example, a house with trees planted in front of it would help prevent heat from entering your home in the summer. Come winter and the trees would shed their leaves to let natural light enter the home.
Opt for Green Contractors
Upgrading your home to a greener abode would require you to call a professional contractor. In this case, your best bet would be to call a green contractor who specializes in using reusable and recycled materials for the job. A green contractor would be your best resource to getting the best repurposing materials for your home upgrades. For instance, he/she would be able to find natural, repurposed wood for your cabinets instead of the traditional plastic or particleboards.
Summary
With a lot of homeowners opting for green homes these days, we found it only befitting that individuals interested in buying a green home would need to know the basics. These tips would surely help anyone who is on the lookout for his/her dream, green home.