With increasing global warming it is the need of time to design a house plan that is eco-friendly while being cost efficient.
Myriad factors affect the house plan development phase. The first is the orientation of your home, which determines the amount of sunlight it will receive on a daily basis. A second key aspect of design is windows. Window’s placed in the right location and sized properly is essential for passive solar design.
Insulation can also help reduce energy consumption by keeping heat trapped inside instead of letting it escape out through walls or floors. This helps keep indoor temperatures lower than outside temperatures are so even though heated air escapes during winter months (as opposed to summer months when there isn’t much need for heating systems), your heating bills won’t increase as much either!
Let’s further discuss these 4 secret ingredients to build the best eco-friendly floor plan.
Overview
1. House Orientation: Your house shape and position are critical when it comes to passive solar design.
The first thing to consider when planning your house is its shape and position. A square home is much easier to build than an asymmetrical one and hence, it’s the first choice of a designer. In order to build an eco-friendly house plan, the orientation plays a vital role in welcoming direct and indirect sunlight. An emerging concept used in developing house plans is passive solar design.
It is the process of using solar energy to heat and cool indoor environments without actively using solar energy. The materials used to construct a building have the ability to transmit, reflect, or absorb solar energy as it hits the structure. The heat from the sun creates air flow that is predictable in spaces that have been built.
2. Windows: Windows are critical for passive solar design.
Windows are crucial to the passive solar design and thus are an important part of the house plan.
shaded windows by an overhang or other structures like awnings, shutters, or trellises to limit unwelcome heat gain in the summer. During summer, the sun’s ray do not enter but the rays will still enter through an angle during winters. You can cut the amount of heat that escapes through your windows by about 50% by utilizing double-paned windows. This will help reduce energy consumption as the house will remain warm in winters and will be cool in summer.
3. Insulation: The insulation is key for energy efficiency in a house plan.
Insulation is the key for energy efficiency. It keeps the heat inside the house, which helps reduce the amount of energy needed to heat and cool your home.
You can insulate the walls, windows, and foundation of your house based on your area. The home’s insulation prevents heat from escaping while also reducing your heating and cooling expenses. Glass wool and fiber optic insulation are some of the best environmentally friendly insulation materials that you should be considering to use in your home.
4. Heating System
There are a few heating systems which are eco friendly and you should include these in a house plan such as heat pump or geothermal heat pump.
Heat pump is a refrigeration unit that pumps heat into the home through pipes and ducts. A common example is the heat pump air conditioning unit, which uses cold outside air to cool down hot indoor air so that it can be circulated through your home’s ventilation system. They are efficient because they use less electricity than other types of furnaces or boilers do when operating at full capacity. Whereas, Geothermal Heat Pumps convert thermal energy found deep within the Earth into usable electric power for your house’s electrical needs such as lighting fixtures, etc.
Conclusion
Different eco-friendly building materials work best for your property depending on its location. Do consider location while choosing materials for the roof, such as asphalt shingles and wood shakes are great for the environment but are used based on the location of the house.
So, these are the 4 things you need to consider when planning your house. If you want to make sure your floor plan is eco-friendly, contact us at 1to1pans.com and book a session now where you can walk through your designs and make changes as you go!
