Your home is the biggest investment you’ll ever make. And with the rising cost of electricity and the vulnerability of water supply, green and eco friendly living is becoming a more attractive option for many home owners. But can you afford it now? The last thing you want to do is over-capitalise on your property.
Another option would be selling your current home and buying a ‘green smart’ home instead. But how would a home that’s designed to be eco friendly save you money? While it’s true that sustainably built eco friendly homes cost more initially, the long term benefits extend beyond saving on your electricity bill. So with that in mind, here are four reasons why investing in a green smart home makes financial sense.
- A green smart home costs less to maintain
Do you have a list of things to do around the home? Perhaps you need to paint the exterior, tend to your gutters and downpipes or maintain a large garden? There always seems to be something that needs repairing or re-decorating.
And it all costs money, time and effort. A green smart home simply doesn’t have these issues to begin with. That’s because a good developer makes sure that the materials used to construct a green smart home are durable. In a green smart home you should find the following low-maintenance features:
- Naturally coloured roof tiles
That’s right, you’ll never have to spend money or put your back out painting your roof. The colour of these tiles won’t fade from exposure to the harsh sun. And they’re tough as nails too. They can withstand rain, wind and hail and aren’t easily damaged. It’s unlikely that you’ll ever have to spend money replacing them due to damage.
- Self-cleaning rainwater tanks
Most rainwater harvesting tanks require some form of maintenance to remove the plant material, waste and sediment that build up over time. This can be a tedious job if you undertake it yourself, or expensive if you call in a professional cleaning service.
Rather choose tanks that are self-cleaning. So you’ll never have to incur the hassle or expense that normally comes with such a feature.
- Aluminium and stainless steel
Aluminium is the ideal material for window and door frames. They add to the look and style of any green smart home and the material itself offers homeowners several benefits over wood or uPVC frames, including:
- Low maintenance: Resistant to all weather conditions and corrosion, aluminium frames won’t warp, crack, split or swell.
- Eco friendly:Aluminium is one of the most highly recycled materials in the world which makes it extremely sustainable.
- Thermally efficient:Frames made from aluminium outperform other materials when it comes to adapting to heat gain and loss.
- Inexpensive:Although prices vary between manufacturers, aluminium doesn’t cost as much as you might think. And because the material is so energy efficient, you’ll quickly recoup the initial costs.
- Design flexibility:You can customise aluminium frames to suit any shape or size making it particularly suitable for unusual openings.
Steel is another material that’s both cost-effective and sustainable. It offers strength and durability to the frame of a home and requires little or no maintenance. Best of all, it can be completely recycled so it never goes to waste.
- A water-saving garden
Keen gardeners will already appreciate the fact that maintaining a green lawn and lush shrubbery takes a lot of time and effort. Create gardens that still look appealing without the hassle or cost by including these elements:
- Indigenous trees and shrubs: These require less water as they have adapted to the climate. You won’t have to water them as often as foreign plants so you’ll spend less time working on your garden, and more time enjoying it.
- Smaller lawns: This is the part of any garden that requires the most maintenance and incurs the most costs. Constantly watering your lawn to keep it looking at its best comes at a cost. Instead, make smaller lawns and use pots and decorations to make your garden a beautiful space.
- Rainwater tanks: Rainwater doesn’t cost you anything and is perfectly safe for using to water your plants and clean your car. Even in times of drought, supplementing with rainwater saves on costs and helps preserve this precious resource.
A green smart home normally makes use of alternative energy sources to reduce your reliance on the grid. And these features will reduce your monthly costs. But by taking into consideration every aspect of your eco friendly living space, you can reduce your costs even further by reducing the need for expensive maintenance.
- A green smart home is healthier
An advantage of green smart homes and eco friendly homes that is often overlooked is the fact that they are healthier than regular homes. In other words, all the materials and methods used in a green smart home tend to emit less harmful chemicals and toxins into your living space.
There are a few ways in which green smart building practices contribute to the health of a home:
- Better air quality: Because green smart homes and eco friendly homes use paints and adhesives that emit less volatile organic compounds, the air in the home is safer and cleaner. Without constantly breathing in dangerous chemicals there’s less chance of the inhabitants suffering from eye, nose and throat irritations and headaches.
- Elimination of mould: A home that is properly sealed and ventilated doesn’t give mould the chance to grow. Mould and damp can cause respiratory problems and infections, allergies or asthma. They can also affect the immune system.
- Less temperature variations: Proper insulation in green smart homes and eco friendly homes reduces the fluctuation in temperature inside the home between seasons. Green smart homes and eco friendly homes are a comfortable temperature all year round which means you’re less likely to get sick. You may not get ill from being cold, but it does affect the immune system, making you more susceptible to any kind of infection or illness.
- Cleaner water: the filtration systems used on green smart homes and eco friendly homes are effective at removing up to 99% of dangerous contaminants, including chlorine, metal and pesticides. And cleaner water means there’s less chance of you picking up an opportunistic infection.
But what does all of this mean for your pocket? Quite simply, it means you’ll be spending less time at the doctor’s rooms and less money on treatments and medicines. Healthcare is expensive and as the old saying goes—an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Many studies have shown the health benefits that green smart building provide to the people who live and work in them. A healthier eco friendly living space also makes people happier and more productive. These benefits make investing in a green smart home a smart decision for your pocket and your future health.
- A green smart home has a higher resale value
Your initial costs may be high, but if you ever need to sell your green home you’ll be pleased to hear that it can command a higher resale value than ordinary homes. Even retro-fitting an existing home with green smart features can increase your asking price when you sell it.
Energy efficient homes and eco friendly homes are becoming more attractive to homeowners because of the continual and long-tern savings they represent. And in current and future economic times, the ability to reduce your monthly running costs will be an important consideration when shopping for a home.
Scarcity of natural resources will also be a concern for future homeowners. So choosing a property that has been designed to make the most of natural energy sources will be more attractive. While green smart homes and eco friendly homes are still the exception, rather than the norm, many new developments are starting to incorporate green smart features. And in the future, tax rebates may be offered for those who make use of green smart technologies when building new eco friendly homes.
How quickly you can expect a return on your investment in a green smart home depends on several factors. Your initial costs versus the savings on monthly utility bills, reduction in maintenance costs and the savings on your healthcare all contribute to the final figure. Within reason, you can expect to have recouped your costs within 10 years or less.
- Green smart homes and eco friendly homes reduce the strain on local infrastructure
Even those who do not live in an energy efficient home can benefit from living in an area where there are green smart homes and eco friendly homes available.
Because green smart homes and eco friendly homes don’t rely solely on the electricity grid to run their homes, this makes it much easier for local suppliers of electricity to cope with the demand. As a result, the cost of supplying these services will stabilise and make them more affordable and reliable for everyone.
Unfortunately there are not enough green smart homes and eco friendly homes to make this a reality yet. But with the movement becoming more popular it could mean that in the future, electricity will be more affordable for everyone. And that way, even if you do need to use the grid to supplement your photo-voltaic solar electricity supply, it won’t cost you as much as it might have.
- Green smart homes and eco friendly homes have many other benefits
Besides those already mentioned above, green smart homes and eco friendly homes have a number of other benefits that can’t be measured in monetary value.
The benefit to environment is the most obvious. Even though these eco friendly homes still use a variety of building materials, these are sourced and used in a sustainable way. Harvesting rainwater and using solar panels for generating your own energy reduce the strain on local resources. Green smart homes and eco friendly homes generate less pollution and reduce your carbon footprint substantially.
Green smart homes and eco friendly homes are stronger, sturdier and built to last. They have been designed to work with nature and not against it. A good developer will take all aspects of the construction into consideration when helping you plan your green smart home. This includes looking at factors such as the location and your requirements. They will know how to maximise the efficiency of systems and techniques to benefit you and the environment.
Once you’ve experienced a green smart home you won’t want to live any other way. The air and water quality are often much better than those in other homes. Double glazed windows reduce noise pollution and make green smart homes and eco friendly homes a haven of peace and tranquility.
If the cost of buying or building a green smart home is putting you off the idea, these benefits should convince you otherwise. It’s tempting to try and save money, but when buying a home one needs to consider the long-term costs involved in maintaining and running it. And this is where a green home can really make an impact on your future expenses. Your home should be an investment for the future. So take the time to research and calculate the real cost of a potential property. Once everything is on paper, you’ll clearly see the financial benefits of going green.
