Sustainable Design Strategies for Your Home

Sustainable Design Strategies for Your Home

(Photo Credit: Blake Wheeler) 

Are you looking into building a more sustainable home? Sustainable design is a great way to make a more energy efficient house, while also saving on long term costs. There are a lot of little things you can do that will ultimately add up to making a huge difference. We’ve come up with a list of our favorite sustainable design strategies that will help you reduce your energy consumption, water usage, and waste production, while also creating a comfortable and healthy living environment. 

Incorporate Passive Design

(Photo Credit: Brian Babb) 

Passive design is a sustainable design strategy that involves positioning your house in such a way that it will maximize using the sun's energy to heat and cool your home. This strategy includes features such as south-facing windows, using materials with significant thermal mass (such as concrete or stone), and shading devices to maximize solar gain and minimize heat loss. 

Incorporating passive design into your home might look like; having plenty of south facing windows, large sun shades, concrete floors, and having adequate ventilation. The ultimate goal of passive design is to create a home that regulates its temperature more naturally, so you don’t have to hit the thermostat as often. 

Install Energy-Efficient Lighting

(Photo Credit: Etienne Girardet)

Along with using passive design strategies, switching to energy-efficient lighting such as LED bulbs can significantly reduce your energy consumption and save you money on your electricity bills. LED bulbs use up to 80% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs, and they last much longer. 

With passive design, you should have more natural light through large south-facing windows, but in the winter months when the sun goes down, natural lighting only gets you so far. With LED lights you can rest assured you’re being more energy conscious. 

Install a Rainwater Harvesting System

(Photo Credit: Harry Cunningham)

In a place like Utah, where the rainy seasons are heavy but the dry seasons are exceedingly dry, collecting rainwater in a cistern or barrel can provide you with a free and sustainable source of water for irrigation and other non-potable uses. Want a garden? Or interested in a greywater system? In the summertime, you’ll collect more than enough to keep your garden green through the dry months! This strategy can help reduce your dependence on municipal water supplies and save you money on your water bills. There are tons of creative ways to harvest and store rainwater, so if a reclaimed water cistern like the one pictured above isn’t your jam, don’t worry! There are plenty of ways to make sure your home looks and feels right to you. 

Use Renewable Energy Sources

(Photo Credit: Vivint Solar)

Localized home solar panels are a great way to make your house more sustainable. Using renewable energy sources such as solar panels or wind turbines can help you generate your electricity sustainably. These sources are renewable, clean, and produce zero emissions, making them an excellent choice for environmentally conscious homeowners. It also has the added benefit of making you eligible for the Federal Solar Tax Credit, which will go a long way to helping homeowners make their lives more sustainable.  

Insulate Your Home

(Photo Credit: Immo Renovation) 

Proper insulation is essential for maintaining a comfortable and energy-efficient home. Insulating your walls, floors, and attic can help reduce heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer, reducing your energy consumption and saving you money on your heating and cooling bills. If you can manage to use a sustainable insulating substance like cellulose insulation, even better!

(Photo Credit: Outsite Co)

In the end, incorporating sustainable design strategies into your home can help you reduce your carbon footprint, save money on your utility bills, and create a healthier living environment. These are all factors to consider when planning and designing your future home. Without sustainable design you could end up hurting financially in a few years. By using natural materials, incorporating passive solar design, using energy-efficient lighting and appliances, you can create a sustainable home that benefits both you and the environment.

Let us know if you’d like to chat more about sustainable design, we’re always happy to help. 

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