Eco Building

Eco building has become a very popular choice, and more people are looking into this way of building their homes. Green Architects specialize in building homes and buildings that are built using sustainable materials.  They will design the homes with every aspect of environmentally friendly produce, and tools to offset the energy use such as wind power.   Although green buildings are not easily defined, more people are looking for this type of home to live in for the future.

The concept of eco friendly houses was first developed by green architects in the 1970′s in response to the major energy crisis. People are beginning to be more concerned with the environmental impact that our lives, and choices are having on the planet. The need to save energy, and use products that are defined as environmentally friendly is very important.  Having an Eco building is often a way of life, and many people will have them specifically designed with their lifestyle in mind.

Owning an eco building is a great way to have a positive impact on the environment, and know that you are helping the problems.  There are several different energy efficient guidelines that the eco building will need to meet for it to be classed as environmentally friendly.  Green architects will be well aware of these strict guidelines, and therefore it is crucial that you work with a recommended and qualified architect.

There are four main areas that the eco building will need to consider and these are water, energy, health and materials.  Each of these areas will need to be looked at closely, and all elements will need to be eco friendly. The materials that the building is made from are very important, and they will need to be obtained from natural, renewable sources. Modern designs by green architects will often use all recycled products, and incorporate them into the overall design.

Reclaimed and salvaged goods can make your home look great, if they are placed in the right areas. Solar energy is a fantastic way to help maintain and power your eco building. Not only will this form of power help to reduce your energy bills dramatically, but it will also help to reduce the strain on the national grid. Insulation and natural light are also great ways to ensure that heating and lighting the eco building is done as naturally as possible.

Green architects will also incorporate eco friendly lighting systems, and low energy appliances. Reducing the use of water is easy to do in your eco building by recycling as much as possible with rain barrels.  Low flush toilet systems, and lagging the pipes will also ensure that you are being environmentally friendly.  Using non toxic materials in your home will help your health dramatically. The level of asthma suffers is far lower in an eco building, and the residents are far healthier overall.

Not only will you be helping to save the planet, but also keeping your family healthy in the process. Having an eco building designed sounds like a lot of hard work; however with the right team and green architects you will achieve amazing results.  This style of home is becoming very popular, and hopefully before long all new builds will be eco friendly homes.

Technorati Tags: Eco Building, Eco House, Green Architects, Green Education

When you think about it, solar homes are now becoming much more popular. The technology has become quite advanced, with photovoltaic cells that can be applied to roofing tiles, meaning that they will be able to absorb the sun from any angle. There is research and development being done and soon you will be able to buy paint that absorbs light from the sun and turns it into electricity. It also seems that people are really starting to think about the planet, so there are a number of different Eco Building products available.

You see a lot of wind turbines on hills these days powering electric grids for communities. You may think to yourself that maybe you can apply this to home use. The reason why most people use solar homes these days is that you put it to use in many applications. In some areas where you may not get as much sunlight during the year, you often see a combination of wind and solar alternative power. It is true that you only get the sun’s actual energy about 6-10 hours a day, depending on where you live, but if you have a good enough set up, all the electricity you don’t use during the day is stored in battery banks for use at night or on cloudy days.

There are many different applications for solar homes, as well as many advantages. Combined with the use of other Eco building materials, using the sun’s energy you can live completely of the grid, not having a utility bill at all. Those that may still have utilities usually have almost no costs per month, only paying for gas stoves or natural gas powered furnaces.

In addition to using solar for generating electricity, it can also do other things. You can use it to pitch in on keeping water hot, as well as warm up the home’s interior in the winter, cooling it during the Summer. These types of solar power applications deal with pipe systems and heat absorbing panels. For an example, you can have a total water heater in your home using solar power. Some areas that have an abundance of sunlight have a system of solar panels that have a series of pipes running through them made from light absorbing Eco building materials. The tops of the panels that face the sun have a clear plexiglass so the sun shines in. Pumps circulate water from a holding tank, through to solar panels, and back into the system. The faster the circulation and the time exposed to the sun, water heated this way will have a temperature rise of up boiling point. There are some factors that change this temperature, such as what the ambient temperature of the water is. If you live in areas where it has four seasons, you may only get really hot water during the longest part of the summer.

There are many reasons why you would want to build solar homes. The Eco building materials such as the panel framing, the photovoltaic cells or the water pipes, batteries and voltage regulators, are readily available from local outlets as well as the internet. This means that these materials are getting cheaper to buy than ever before. It also means that with access to the right DIY websites, all of these systems can be put together yourself. The only real thing that would need the advice of a professional is to make sure that everything is to building code standards.

Eco homes are environmentally friendly. When you are hooked into the power grid, you may not know or have the choice about where your electricity comes from. You may still be getting your electricity from a source that is still using conventional fossil fuel methods of producing electricity. Again thinking about wind generators, the energy produced by wind farms is still not that widely available. There are some states where energy use has been deregulated. Solar power is completely renewable, doesn’t use and fossil fuels, it doesn’t use and kind of combustion so it doesn’t emit any toxins in our atmosphere.

It is important to know that some of these Eco building materials are not as cheap as conventional materials. The cost for an average new home build is going to be around 20-25 thousand dollars more, but this also shows if you didn’t build these systems yourself and hired a professional to do it for you. However in the end solar homes are more efficient, stay warmer in the Winter and cooler in the Summer, can reduce or eliminate your utility bills, and be totally environmentally conscious.

There are many different benefits that an Eco building has to offer. If you are planning to build your own home, then an Eco house may be something to think about and for many reasons. Let’s first look at the benefits to our planet and environment. One of the benefits is that using more sustainable materials, such as bamboo flooring, recycled glass, as well as recycled paper for blown insulation helps to reduce waste materials from going into our landfill, as well as conserving our dwindling natural resources such as wood. This helps to clean up the environment, reduce deforestation, and conserve our natural resources.

Using Eco building products in your Eco house also helps to reduce the usage of electricity, water, and energy. Water conservation is extremely important. With many power plants still using fossil fuels to produce electricity, we as a country have to show these companies that we are not going to stand for them depleting our already decreasing natural resources. Many different renewable alternatives out there can be easily used for home and commercial applications. There is active as well as passive solar energy, wind turbines to produce electricity, as well as many others. You can use a variety of Eco friendly products in the construction of your home, and many can also be utilized for structures that are already established.

It isn’t just using recycled or sustainable building materials that constitutes an Eco Building or Eco house. It also means using products that are also highly efficient, and use a minimal amount of energy. It used to be that compact florescent bulbs were the big thing, and while they still are, now you also have LED lighting options. These conserve electricity even more, using only a tenth of the energy of CFB use. You can get these lighting fixtures in the same styles as you would find the older style fixtures, but they are much more efficient.

There are other Eco building products to consider as well. One of the most effective things you can use in your Eco house is point of use water heaters, also called inline water heaters. Most people think that the only way to have hot water is by buying a tank style water heater and this is simply not true. If you want to conserve water, and have an abundant supply of hot water for your shower or other applications, then an inline water heater is the way to go. Instead of using a large tank, which has to be kept at temperature even if you are not using the hot water, a tank less water heater only uses energy when the water is actually flowing through the system. It utilizes a series of water coils through the unit. When the hot water is turned on, a sensor turns on the heating element, there by heating the water as it passes through. Cold water comes in and hot water comes out. When you are done using it, the sensor turns off the gas or electricity, reducing the amount of energy wasted. In addition to these appliances, low flow faucets and shower heads use special aerators to restrict water flow, but you really can’t tell the difference when you are using them. There are low flow toilets, which use much less water when flushing, as well as many other energy saving appliances, such as refrigerators and dishwashers.

Many people who want to incorporate Eco Building products and materials to establish Eco house projects consider what the costs are. On the average, buying these appliances are not much higher than ‘regular’ appliances. For Eco friendly building materials, now you may spend around twenty percent more, mostly because now, demand isn’t as great. Some materials, such as bamboo flooring and wall coverings are much cheaper that other common materials.

Even though these initial Eco Building costs may seem higher, in the end you will see substantial benefits in your Eco house. One of the many benefits is using less electricity over the long run. Because you are using alternative energy sources, your utility bills are going to be reduced dramatically. Because you are using Green materials, your heating costs are going to be much less than the average home. You will also have the peace of mind that you are doing your part to save our planet.

Technorati Tags: Eco Building, Eco Building Products, Eco House, Green Building, Green Building Products

There are many different aspects to Eco building. It starts with designing and planning your Eco house. From getting in touch with Green architects, to finding the Eco friendly building supplies, and even to finding contractors who are familiar with these kinds of products. It is also about researching suppliers that produce these kinds of products, who use sustainable resources, as well as recycled materials. In addition, it is also about using alternative power sources, such as solar power and wind turbines to provide the electricity needed for these homes. It is also about location, since some of these systems rely on the sun, you need to find a piece of property that is in a sunny location, and the building site has to be free from obstructions.

Eco building takes time and planning, whether it is a Eco house, or commercial building. You need to make as much use of natural light during the day, not just for your electrical needs, but to also reduce these needs, buy utilizing as much of the sun’s energy as possible. This means not only having natural light to see by, but also for the heating and cooling of the building itself.

At first, you may find that some of these costs may be a little higher initially than just building with normal every day materials that are easy to come by. While this may seem true, you have to consider your future. One of the benefits of Eco building is that is saves you substantially in the long run, and in many ways. Instead of relying on utility companies that are using up our precious natural resources at an alarming rate, you are using totally clean burning, renewable energy. Your Eco house no longer needs to have electricity supplied by these companies, saving you a ton of money right away. Even if you still have grid power, using Eco friendly materials, such as spray insulation that is made from recycled paper products is going to provide a much better moisture and heat barrier, still cutting down on these costs.

The benefits to the environment are a big part of what Eco building is all about. Using alternative power sources cuts out the depleting fossil fuel factors. It doesn’t use harmful products to produce electricity, so there is no toxic emissions going into our atmosphere. The sun and the wind are plentiful, are totally renewable, and are not using up valuable resources. Using either or both of these green energy sources in your Eco house can help you do your part to reduce your carbon footprint.

When it comes to using Eco building materials, there are also many other benefits. It takes twice the energy to create products from scratch, and again, uses valuable resources. Using recycled materials instead takes half the energy, and it is helping to keep our waste down, keeping these materials from reaching our landfills, or being burned up. Using more sustainable products such as bamboo flooring keeps our forests from being cut down, which take years and even decades to recover, and even not at all.

As far as using solar and wind energy in your Eco building projects, these costs have come down substantially. It is not longer so expensive that it takes decades to pay for themselves. With the higher demands, the better technologies in photovoltaic cells, you can successfully create your own solar panels, as well as wind turbines. For just a few hundred dollars per panel, your can supply enough electricity for your entire Eco house. With so many different DIY resources out there that supply full materials lists, complete and easy to follow instructions, even a lay person with the most basic of skills can build these systems on their own, in just a short amount of time.

So if you are tired of listening to all the problems we are facing in the world with global warming, climate changes, worries about depleting natural resources, and the many others, there are things you can do about it. One is to use only Eco building products, and if you are thinking about a new construction, consider an Eco house. There are plenty of resources out there on the internet, from green architects, contractors and plenty of suppliers of these products.

Technorati Tags: Eco Architecture, Eco Building, Eco Building Products, Eco House, Green Architects

Solar homes are homes that implement one or more different aspects of Eco Architecture, in the solar range. There are many different kinds of solar technologies available, especially now when concerns over the environment are of high priority. Not everyone knows about all of these different aspects. Most people are aware of solar power, but just the basics of it. Along with the generation of electricity, solar power can be used to heat water, heat and cool your home, as well as many others. Here is a quick run down on some of the basics of solar energy and how you can use it, whether for a new building project or retro fitting the home you have.

Let’s start with solar power for electricity in Solar homes. This really starts with solar architecture designs. One of the most important aspects of solar power, regardless of what it is used for is location. The home needs to be located in an area where it has the most sun exposure, away from trees, even if they are small now. It also means careful planning of landscaping, so that nothing is planted where you plan on using solar to obscure light.

Now while most people think of panels when it comes to solar homes, today’s technology goes far beyond that. It will even be implementing more sophisticated and more efficient photovoltaic applications. Now, in addition to rigid solar cells, there are flexible cells, ones that can be incorporated into shingles and roofing tiles. Instead of having heavy and bulky solar panels mounted on your roof, you can have the part that gets the most sun covered in solar tiles instead.

When it comes to solar homes that are powered with photovoltaic cells or tiles, other components go with them. There is the solar collectors, of course, then there is the wiring that goes from the collector to a regulator. This regulator prevents surges, because some parts of the day will collect more energy than others. From there is a splitter. This splitter divides the electricity, between storing the energy, and supplying it to the home itself. On the storage side, battery banks are used to collect excess energy, storing it in these banks for when it is needed, whether during the night time hours, or for times when there isn’t any sun. The next part of the splitter sends electricity to the power inverter. Now you have to understand that solar electricity is low voltage direct current, or DC power. In order to be able to supply power to your home and appliances, it needs to be converted into usable alternating current, or AC power. This is where the power inverter comes in. Now there is one more thing that the splitter does. It is programmed to know when there is more electricity than the actual power needs of the home. If this need is greater, then it funnels the extra to the battery banks. If the amount is low, then it completely supplies the inverters alone. The battery banks also have a regulator on them as well. When the power supply falls short, they automatically send this stored energy to the inverter, making up the difference.

Eco Architecture has to incorporate these aspects of solar power. In other words, there has to be a secure place for the battery banks, and part of the structure of the home has to incorporate energy saving electrical devices, LED light fixtures, for an example. These are highly efficient lights, that are brightly lit, but only use a fraction of the energy. Each light may only use just one watt of electricity, so if they replace a 100 watt bulb, they use one hundredth the energy, and last even twice as long as your compact fluorescent bulbs.

The next example of Solar homes use the sun’s energy to heat water in the home. This kind of Eco architecture utilizes the suns energy in a different way. These are also known in other countries as solar geysers. There are two different components to these devices. There is the holding tank, which sits higher up than the heating unit. The whole thing can either be mounted on a roof, or on some type of stand. While there needs to be a more safe and secure roofing structure, you have the advantage of gravity to feed the heated water into the home, as opposed to needing a pump for getting the water there. The other part of the unit is the actual heating component. This is a series of glass tubes, with a reflecting back ground in the casing. Water flows from the tank into the tubes, where the sun heats it up. As the water heats, it passes back up and into the tank, and the more cold water is forced into the tubes. While you may think that this won’t heat up water, not only does it heat the water, but it can reach boiling temperatures, depending on where you live. If you live in areas like Arizona, New Mexico, etc, you may not even need a conventional hot water heater, even in the Winter.

There are many examples of Eco Architecture online. There are also many sites that show examples of solar homes, as well as how to build and install your own solar panels, water heaters, and thermal collectors. In many cases, with the availability of photovoltaic cells, you can build you own solar panels for around a hundred dollars a panel. Of course this doesn’t include the voltage regulators, batteries, and inverters, but realistically you could build your own solar power systems for right around $5,000. Considering the energy savings you can expect immediately, as well as over time, these systems could pay for themselves within a few years.

Technorati Tags: Eco Architecture, Eco Building, Eco Building Products, Eco House, Green Building Products, Green Education, Solar Homes

When it comes to Eco Building, there are plenty of different places to start. If you have a new construction project going on, building and Eco House is the best place. There are many Eco Architects that can go over with you some great ideas, such as implementing Solar panels to provide electricity, hot water and thermal heating.

The first thing when it comes to Eco building is finding the right location. With green architecture, a sunny spot is always a plus, but there are other things that also have to be planned out when it comes to your Eco House. For one, planning your landscape is important. If you are implementing any kind of solar for example, you don’t want to plant trees that will eventually obscure the sun from hitting them throughout the day. While the trees and bushes may be small now, some will eventually grow as high, if not higher than you home.

When it comes to Eco Building, it isn’t just about using alternative energy to supply heat or electricity to your Eco House. It is also about Green education, and learning what other things you need to implement in order to save energy all around your home. For an example, while it may not be a good investment to purchase a solar water heating system, there are other ways you can save on using hot water. Before that though, it is important to understand about solar hot water systems. What these are is a combination of a water tank, as well as tubes that heat up water. As the water passes through these tubes, it heats up and rises into the holding tank, with cold water flowing into the tubes. The more the water circulates, the hotter the water gets. The biggest drawback to using these systems is location. If you are living in areas of the country where there is an abundance of the sun, that’s great. However, if you live in the Northern Tier, then your availability of direct sunlight is limited to the seasons.

When it comes to implementing Eco building techniques, there are many different ways you can make your home an Eco House. Going back to the hot water part. While it may not be cost effective to use Solar water heating where you live, there are many simple steps you can do to save yourself a bundle on electricity. Let’s take a look at water heating. In many homes, water heating is done with an old style hot water heater, one that uses a large tank to heat water. No matter how energy efficient these systems are, they still waste electricity, or gas. Why you may ask? Because these water heaters still use the same tank technology. With a water tank heater, water has to be kept at temperature all the time, even if you aren’t using it. Even with the insulation, they still lose heat, and once they fall below a certain temperature, the heating element kicks in.

By adding an in line water heater to your Eco house, you can save a lot of money in many ways. This addition to Eco building cuts down on water usage, because you are only using hot water when you need it. The inline water heater doesn’t have a bulky tank, taking up a lot of space, and in fact, some are small enough to fit under a sink in the bathroom or kitchen. How it works is very simple. When you turn on you hot water, the flow starts, triggering a sensor that turns on the heat. It keeps the water hot as long as you are using it. When you are done, the flow stops, and so the sensor turns off the heating element, until you are ready to use it again. How hot the temperature depends on how much water flow is going through the unit, but you can buy models that have a higher flow capacity for running two or even three application at a time. Used in conjunction with low flow faucets, you can save substantially on your water and heating bill, without giving up those hot showers.

Eco Building doesn’t stop there. All of the major appliances in your Eco House should be of the highest EnergyStar rating. All of your lights should be changed over to LED lights. This technology isn’t new, but is a little new for homes. LED lights emit high intensity light, but without the heat of regular incandescent bulbs. They are also much more efficient than even compact fluorescent bulbs, and last even longer.

There are many different ways you can use Eco building. There are double pane windows, with special coating that allows the warmth in the Winter to enter your home, yet reflects harmful UV rays. In the Summer, these go darker, preventing the sun from coming in, keeping your home cooler. They also prevent heat and cold from getting out of your home as well, cutting down on your energy bills.

An Eco House is not just one that utilizes modern technologies for power and heating, etc. Eco building is also about Green education. This means understanding new building techniques, building smarter the first time, so you don’t have to go back and solve the problems later. Buy building smart, taking your time and working with you green architects, you save money over the life of your home, and help reduce you overall carbon foot print on the environment.

There are many different resources at your disposal when it comes to Eco building. You can find these on the internet. There are resources for green architects, and many examples of Eco Houses. Many of the best ones are located in areas of Arizona, and New Mexico, but with careful planning, it really doesn’t matter where you live.

Technorati Tags: Eco Building, Eco Building Products, Eco Friendly living, Eco House, Green Architects, Green Building, Solar Homes

People really are starting to care all around the world. More and more often we see people start to care for our environment and start thinking green and Eco within projects such as Eco Building. Cutting down on energy levels to save CO2 is one of many reasons to start thinking Green and what could be a better start then starting at your own home! Well University of Copenhagen has really done a great job on building a Green Lighthouse as they call it. Have a look at this and get amazed…. Welcome to Green Lighthouse

Green Lighthouse is Denmark’s first public carbon neutral house. The house has been built in less than a year in a close public/private partnership.

The partners are the University of Copenhagen, VELUX, VELFAC, the Danish University and Property Agency (UBST) and the City of Copenhagen.

Green Lighthouse is home to the Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen. It is a one-stop-shop for students where they can get answers to questions about their studies, examens and their future carriere.

The house also has a faculty club, which serves as a meeting place for researchers and others with a connection to the Faculty of Science.

Green Lighthouse is built by a consortium consisting of Hellerup Byg, Christensen & Co. Architects and COWI. Green Ligthhouse was officially inaugurated on 20 October 2009.

A few facts on the Green Lighthouse:
The Green Lighthouse is the first CO2 neutral public building in Denmark. The house is a round green building with 950m2. You will find much more inspiration when going to these resources.

Read everything here on and about the Green Lighthouse and watch a short guide film tour of the Green Lighthouse – Full credit and respect goes to the University of Copenhagen and their green implementations.

Technorati Tags: Co2 Neutral Building, Copenhagen University, Eco Building, Eco House, Green Architects, Green Building

When it comes to Eco Building, it isn’t just about adding environmentally friendly appliances and using alternative energy products. It is about using Eco building products as well. This means finding the right materials when you are creating the best home or business that not only is Eco friendly on the outside, but inside as well. The biggest problems faced by private citizens, is finding out where to get these materials, and what kinds of products to use in their building products. Here are a few tips to shed some light on this dilemma.

The first thing you need to consider when looking for Eco Building products is that you may need to spend more initially. For an example, while there are an abundance of different insulation products on the market, the cheaper products are not always the best. You can buy rolls of insulation inexpensively, but there are some drawbacks to these. One is that these rolls do not completely insulate. There are always gaps somewhere, allowing cold air in, and warm air to escape. There are alternatives. Spray foam insulation products might be a little more expensive to purchase initially, especially when it comes to hiring people to install it, but because it thoroughly covers the entire area, in the long run you are saving money in your heating bill. Another spray insulation is made from recycled paper products, like newspaper. How this works is that recycled paper is mixed with a fast evaporating liquid, which is then sprayed into any place that needs insulation, attics, walls and even basements. The nice part about this insulation is that you don’t even need to take down the drywall to do it. The companies that offer these services can simply cut a small hole in the drywall, and start filling up the empty space. Once is starts coming out of the hole, they are finished. This is a great way to completely insulate just about any area of your home, and reuse paper that would normally end up in a land fill.

Another area to consider when it comes to Eco building is with flooring. Instead of using wood floors, which takes away from our natural resources, other flooring options exist. There are many different options that are sustainable, like Bamboo, Lyptus wood, Cork, and Palmwood. Bamboo and Lyptus wood are both fast growing and sustainable alternatives to traditional wood building materials. Palmwood is actually sterilize coconut trees, that have ceased to produce fruits. This is an inexpensive alternative to exotic hardwoods that are scarce and take a long time to re-grow. Cork is actually becoming a popular interior material, replacing traditional wood products when it comes to paneling and wall coverings.

You can also use recycled materials in many areas. One of them is recycled glass. Instead of using fresh glass tiles for bathrooms and kitchens, recycled glass is becoming a better alternative for many reasons. One is that they can be produced in any color size and style. Another is that using recycled glass products is far less expensive, looks just as good, and is as durable. The process for making virgin class is very complicated, as well as expensive. Using post consumer glass instead cuts down on the energy used to produce it, and not as much glass winds up in land fills. There are many different uses for recycled glass, other than just tiles. They can be used for flooring and counter tops, partition panels, walls and for exterior glazing.

There are many different Eco Building sites online that you can use as resources when it comes to finding Eco building materials. This is a good place to start. Many sites can help you decide which materials are right for your needs, and where you can go to purchase them. Now that is all fine and dandy, but the internet also has problems as well. One of them is information overload. You put in a key word on a search engine and so much information comes up, some that you can use, but some of it has nothing to do with the information you may want. So with that in mind, here are a few specific websites that you can use to start your search, to help finding what you need easier.

The first on the list of Eco Building Products is holistic-interior-designs.com/eco-building-materials.html. This website includes valuable information on what kinds of Eco Building materials are available, as well as links to information on why these are great alternatives to virgin building materials. There are an abundance of different links, and each section has link area where you can find these alternative building material sites.

The next site you should go to is eco-buildingproducts.com/. This site is a wealth of common sense information, and it doesn’t just give you a general overview of things you may already know about. This site contains direct links to Eco Building Products and companies. This site is going to be extremely helpful when it come to finding Eco Building materials, whether you are a beginner, and expert, or even a building professional looking to find better products for your company. One of the examples you can choose from on this site is the Solaro Energy Company, providing advanced alternative lighting systems. They offer Daylight simulators, which mirror natural light with the help of solar panels, and can be installed in any room of your home, without the need to cut and install skylights.

Last, many different Green contractors only use Eco Building products in construction and remodeling. One of the places to start from is allgreencontractors.com/. This site has a map of the US, and all you have to do is click on the state you live in, and a list of contractors that are totally Eco building friendly. From solar panel installation, to complete building services, this site has it all.

Technorati Tags: Eco Building, Eco Building Products, Eco Friendly living, Eco House, Green Building, Green Building Products, Green Education

While there are many expenses to consider when using Eco building products, the benefits far outweigh the extra price. Eco building is really taking into consideration all aspects of green living. This means that the materials you buy have to be more carefully chosen, and the green concept as a whole is much different than just building a home from whatever materials are available. For one, you have to take into consideration the impact the building is going to have on the environment. Not only do people leave a carbon footprint, but so do buildings.

Now that you have found the Eco Building Web sites, it is time to consider the costs of Eco building. It is said that building a home from scratch using nothing but Eco friendly materials is going to cost an additional two to five percent more than conventional materials. This takes into consideration things like solid concrete foundations, spray insulation, and heavy duty sheet rock, better and more efficient lighting, etc. This also takes into consideration that using alternative forms of energy, solar, wind, and thermal energy to power, heat and cool the home, is initially more costly than just wiring your home to the local power grid.

Let’s take into consideration for a moment the costs of solar power systems, including electricity, and water heating. For this example we are going to use a new home construction in Arizona, or New Mexico, where the sun is abundant all year round. These are just a few areas, of course where the sun is plentiful. Okay, let’s say for example you decide that you are not that great at building solar panels on your own and have a professional come and do all the installation for you. The first Eco building products that will have to be purchased are the solar panels, the solar water heating systems, the inverters and the battery banks. For a full solar electrical power system, you may be looking in the $20,000-$30,000 range, just for the Eco building materials. It is going to cost another $5,000 to install the whole system. If you have the water heating system installed at the same time, then this can be done for the same cost as the rest of the installation. The unit itself is going to cost you around $2,000 for a quality solar water heater.

Now at the top of this range, let’s say $37,000, you may feel that this is a little high initially for these types of Eco building products, as well as labor. Granted, if you were able to do the building yourself, these costs would be cut in half right away. However, let’s say for an example that you would normally spend around a hundred dollars a month, just on your electricity bill. While the initial cost seems high, being off the grid saves you $1,200 dollars a year, just on electricity. Now if you combine this with the fact that any extra electricity you don’t use can be sold back to the power company, not only are you saving money, but in fact you can also be paid for the extra power you produce.

This goes for any kind of Eco building materials you incorporate into your home. Another example is using insulation. There are many spray foam Eco building products on the market, and as mentioned before, this includes recycled paper products. While a roll of conventional insulation may only be $18 a roll, high quality spray foam may cost the equivalent of $20 a roll. It takes a little more time to thoroughly spray the insulation, so labor costs are going to be more. However, you get your money back over time. Number one, you don’t have to worry about moisture getting in from outside, so you save money on damages done by mold and mildew. Then, because every nook and cranny is filled, there is no heat escaping, or cold weather coming into your home. This means that you don’t have to turn the heat up so high during the Winter, or turn up the air conditioning in the Summer, saving you substantially on your overall energy costs.

Some of the costs of Eco building products can actually be lower in some areas. Using recycled materials, like recycled glass tiles, counter tops and partitions, instead of virgin glass is going to cost you much less. This off sets the higher costs of insulation, using thermopane windows and doors, bringing Eco building down to a level that is well within your budget.

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Implementing Eco building ideas take time and research on your part. Ideally, you want to start with designing and building an Eco friendly home right from the ground up, using recycled materials whenever possible. You also want to choose more sustainable materials when it comes to wood, and implement a wide array of power system alternatives, so you can realistically live completely off the grid, whether it is solar power, or wind, or even a combination of the two. It also means finding an ideal location, so you can build the ideal environmentally friendly home.

The problem is that many people don’t have the luxury of starting from scratch, nor do they have an unlimited budget. Most of us live in older homes, with all the problems that are included. In such cases, the first thing to do is get your priorities in order, and really decide where to start. For an example, everyone wants to save money on their electricity bill, but how and where to do it is often a big question. In many cases, you don’t need to do a lot of work to implement Eco Building ideas.

You need to start outside, and inspect your home from the roof to the foundation. You need to check for things like shingles coming apart, or separating from the roof. You need to check and make sure that your siding is properly covering your home, and there are no gaps, or spots where the siding is starting to deteriorate. Look for soffits that are exposing the attic spaces to the outside, that your gutters are doing their job, and that the drains are far enough away from the foundation that it isn’t causing moisture from seeping into your basement or crawl space.

One of the biggest areas where you lose heat is doors and windows. In these areas you can use simple things to implement Eco building. Make sure there are no gaps at the window edges, under the doors. Sometimes this means just replacing the weather stripping, but at other times you may want to completely replace them, using more energy efficient thermal window and doors. These windows are double paned, some with an inert gas between the panes, and a protective film over the glass. There are many different advantages to using these. First of all, the double panes mean that the inside pane is not in direct contact with the outside. The gases between the panes prevent any moisture from accumulating, so your windows don’t fog up. They provide much better insulation, during all seasons. They let in the warm of the sun in the Winter, and reflect the cold air, and keep cooler air inside during the Summer, keeping your energy costs down.

A lot of people are simply tired of dealing with utility companies all the time, and wish they could cut down on their need to rely on power companies. They are considering alternative power sources, so they will have a more reliable source of energy, and reduce or eliminate their bills altogether. While using solar or wind power is a great alternative, there are many things you need to consider before using these Eco building ideas. One of them is where you live. You have to think about where you live in terms of a source of energy. If you live in areas where there is an abundance of sun all year round, then solar is a viable option, that will pay for itself in a short period of time. If you find that there is wind most of the time, turbines may be a good alternative energy source. Some people also find that combining these together work best for their location.

Another strong consideration when implementing Eco building is thinking about how much you can do on your own, and what you need to be calling in professionals to do. For another example, going back to solar and wind power sources, there are numerous online resources that offer DIY plans and kits for creating your own solar panels, wind generators, and complete off the grid systems. DIY resources can save you an enormous amount of money over hiring someone to create and install them for you. Even if you are not sure you can do this only your own, it is worth looking into. One of the places to start is Earth4energy.com.

Money is often a big factor when it comes to implementing even the most basic Eco building ideas. Luckily there are many different ways you can find help. There are many different local government programs available to help you with energy audits, in order to find out where you need to improve on, as well as tax incentives, grants and loans to help pay for some or all of these upgrades.

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