When you think about a green home, what springs to your mind? A green painted house? Not exactly, as the term going green has become more and more important and followed in today's world where natural resources are depleting and humans are making an all out effort to save whatever little is left.
If you are buying a house, why not pitch in with efforts, however small that may be, in reducing unwanted energy wastage? You may have reduced your electricity bill by only five percent, but even if ten percent of the population is able to do that, it is a considerable amount of savings, something than can light up another million households in different parts of the world.
This shows how much you care for the world and other human beings on this planet.
The question that arises now is, how do you determine if your house is indeed green? There are two types of green homes.
One is the certified green homes, which are certified by authorized programmes across the world, like LEED for Homes, earth advantage and similar types of programmes.
These can easily be bought as they have specific standards that these certifications adhere to and hence can be trusted.
The other type, which is the non-certified green homes are those which may have some features but not the tag of a green home.
In such cases, you have to rely on your own judgment to decide the green effectiveness of these houses.
There are few factors that you need to look out in such cases.
The first thing that always strikes you as you look at a house is the exterior of the house.
Check if the house has some amount of greenery as part of its landscape and if the paint used is more eco-friendly.
There are a few types of the same available in today's markets.
These are the non-toxic variety which uses vegetable components for manufacture.
These art bio-degradable and cause very minimal harm to nature when disposed of.
Another important factor that may be of interest is the windows and doors.
See if these are insulated properly, as good insulation reduces your heating bills.
Also check for cross- ventilation features that allow more air to flow through your home, which again reduces air-conditioning bills.
Reducing water usage through low-use plumbing fixtures and good natural floorings that reduce the use of carpets are a few important features that may add value as part of a green home.
Systems like rain water harvesting and solar power electricity systems are great options, but are not normally seen because of the costs associated with these.
In fact, some states have plans to bring in legislation that makes the use of such systems mandatory, for building plans to be approved, as most governments feel that only legislation can ensure strict compliance in such matters.