Green Home Ideas: How to Build and Live in Eco-Friendly Ways

With the world becoming increasingly green, Gen-Z and Millennials’ lifetime spending and buying habits have also transformed.

Going eco-friendly isn’t simply a fashion trend anymore; instead, it’s a way of living. Eco-conscious young adults and teenagers try to incorporate green habits in every aspect of their life, including home decor and ideas like biophilic design.

Read on to learn the benefits of green home design, and ways to transform your traditional house into an eco-friendly property.

By the team at Home City


green home

Why Go Green and Create an Eco-Friendly House? 

Creating a sustainable house ensures economic wealth, improves indoor air quality, and mitigates the global climate impact, among many other benefits. Read on to learn the top pros of creating an eco-friendly house:

Water and Energy Efficient 

Energy prices continue to grow with an increasing population. Incorporating energy-efficient systems in your home is an effective way of cutting down on utility bills. 

In addition, you can rest assured it will recoup your setup costs through savings and performance efficiency. 

Reduce Environmental Impacts

Using energy-efficient, recycled, and renewable materials effectively reduces your carbon footprint and impact on pollution and resource use. A green home ensures fewer carbon emissions, reduces landfill waste, and lessens the impact of new construction on natural resources.  

Taking small steps towards sustainability and spreading information helps produce a positive environmental impact. 

Less Maintenance 

The goal of creating an eco-friendly home is to ensure sustainability to have as little effect on the surroundings as possible. 

For this reason, green building materials are comparatively durable, require less maintenance, help refresh your home’s look, and save money on costly repairs. 

Healthy Indoor Environment 

Most traditional construction products, including materials used during the manufacturing process, contain harmful substances. 

One incredible benefit of choosing eco-materials is that they are free of harmful chemicals and pollutants, and finishes.

indoor plants

The Top 12 Green Home Design Ideas 

Here we’ve created a list of the top 12 ways you can build a greener home:

Building Vertically Instead of Horizontally 

Building a house vertically rather than horizontally costs comparatively less and helps reduce the amount of plumbing required.  

Another benefit is it has a smaller carbon footprint as they  take up less ground space.

Multiple-story homes are the perfect way of saving up on energy owing to their condensed design, ability to hold more heat, and fewer issues with ice dams. Although keep in mind that these homes can cause ventilation issues.

Conserve Water

Considering the world’s increasing population, ongoing droughts, pervasive pollution, and climate changes, we need to change our water use habits. 

By creating low-volume bathrooms, kitchen fixtures, low-flow toilets, dual flushes, and much more, you can transform your house into a green building.

Upgrade to a Smart Thermostat

Switch your manual thermostat with a smart thermostat. This revolutionary thermostat includes an eco-mode that automatically reduces the temperatures whenever you’re not home.

Select Sustainable Building Materials

The best way to create an eco-friendly building is by using sustainable materials:

Recycled or Reused Material

Recycled materials refer to reprocessed items like converting rubber tires into flooring. Reused materials are typically used whole like doors, windows, and flooring. 

Sustainably Harvested

Wood is the perfect example of a sustainably harvested material which means that it’s sourced from well-managed forests. 

It also means that the material comes from a well-documented and certified supply chain.

Incorporate Beekeeping

Adding beekeeping to your green home setup not only supports local ecosystems but also promotes biodiversity. Bees are vital pollinators, helping to sustain plant life and contribute to local food production. Creating a beekeeping space with essentials like bee frames in your yard or garden is simpler than it may seem and can be done with a few basic materials.

Plus, having your own honey source adds a natural sweetener to your pantry, cutting down on store-bought alternatives. By embracing beekeeping, you’re fostering a healthier environment and adding an eco-friendly hobby that directly contributes to sustainability.

Smaller is Better

Here’s the thing: a smaller home with eco-friendly techniques has a smaller environmental impact. The fact is that a larger house is likely to cost more to cool and warm.

Try to keep your place cost-effective and manageable. 

Track Your Home Energy Use 

By creating a fixed-rate energy plan you can enjoy saving money on your energy bills, as well as ensure you’re not caught off guard with a sudden, high bill. 

By setting a fixed-rate energy plan you’ll pay about the same rate per month.

Shop Vintage

Reinvent your living room and dining room by adding vintage furniture. You may visit your local thrift store to check out their collection. 

Water Your Plants Using Used Water 

Instead of throwing away the water, you wash your vegetables in or the rainwater you collect, use it to water your plants.

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle 

Try to reduce your need for purchasing new products that are not eco-friendly. Reuse old materials like wood doors, floors, and windows in your next home. 

On top of that, recycled materials like aluminum, recycled plastic, recycled tile, and such can be used in eco-friendly homes.

Install Solar Panels 

Installing solar panels is an innovative and effective way of reducing your electricity bill. These panels generate power from your sun and help power your entire home. 

Any excess energy stored by the solar panel is sent to local energy sources. You can then save this energy to use during the winter months and at night. 

On the whole, by producing extra energy you can cut down your electricity bills. In addition, you can qualify for a tax credit!

Eco-Friendly Lighting 

Although LED and CFL have greater upfront costs, they use less energy and last longer. Both are incredible additions to your new greenhouse since they offer excellent cost savings.

Choose Simplicity Over Complexity 

Build your house for the purpose, not for ornamentation. For instance, clean roof lines are preferred over fancier options because they are cheaper, easier, and simple to build. 

Unnecessary and fashionable options can be nixed. Done correctly, choosing simple designs over complex can create a natural sense of purpose for your home.

Creating a Greener World One Step at a Time 

Luckily, the market offers you a wide variety of green products and smart building options. Talk to your friends and family members about the importance of creating a greenhouse to incorporate eco-friendly changes in your everyday lifestyle.  

In the infographic below from HomeCity, we further discuss the best ways you can transform your house into a green building. Share your journey towards creating a sustainable and eco-friendly house to connect with like-minded people.

green home ideas

1 thought on “Green Home Ideas: How to Build and Live in Eco-Friendly Ways”

  1. I found it helpful when you told us that smaller is better if we are trying to build a green and eco-friendly home since there will be less environmental impact and fewer costs when keeping the place cool and warm. I will be moving to Hampstead next year once my job transfer has been finalized, so I wanted to have a house built in the area since I will be bringing the kids with me during the move. I’ll take note of this while I look for custom home builders in Hampstead to hire for help with this project soon.

Comments are closed.