What is a sustainable house and its advantages over the conventional one?

Posted on: 06/14/2019

More people are now interested in a sustainable lifestyle which leads to the natural spread of this word in every aspect of our daily life. In real estate, especially when we talk about construction of houses and buildings, the word "sustainability" is not always understood equally and is often associated with costly procedures and technologies requiring time and resources. 

No house can be 100% sustainable, as each house has some impact on our planet. The idea behind "sustainable houses" is to reduce as much as possible their impact on the environment.

 

There are three aspects that can best describe the definition of a sustainable house: size, energy consumption and useful life. Here is what's behind every aspect. 

Size 

We do not need to be experts in sustainable development and construction to say that smaller houses use less energy to build and maintain. In case you have decided to build a sustainable home for you and your family, the first question you need to answer is how much space you really need to live well? Here the luxury is not measured in square meters but in a conscious decision with a thought to the environment. The answer to this question is important because every square meter in a house uses energy, thus contributing to the running costs of the house.

Size is important to consider when designing the house. What will the house be used for - as permanent residence or summer cottage? How many people will live in it? Good design will incorporate these considerations and will leave room for any changes in the house by its future occupants. 

 

 

  

Energy Consumption

Although size is a factor, a sustainable house does not mean a small house. It comes down to the building standard applied and the resulting energy consumption. There are standard principles for this type of houses, for example, the standards for Zero Carbon houses. These standards ultimately determine the energy consumption of the house once it is ready and not during its construction.

 

Speaking of standards, there are also other types of houses that could be considered sustainable: eco-homes and green homes that often come with a green roof and a rainwater collection function; low energy houses that focus mainly on energy consumption; as well as various government initiatives, such as Zero Carbon houses in the UK or energy-efficient buildings in the EU, that are gaining increasing popularity. All these types of houses lead to a diverse range of sustainable buildings and are an example of the fact that the choice is bigger than we can assume.