Innovation in Residential Construction
By: Firmo Construction
Tags: Efficiency, Innovation, Architecture, Residential Construction, Clean Energy

When Energy Efficiency Hits Home

Inefficient home energy use is not only a costly issue but is one of the largest contributors to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. By improving its approach to site design and landscape architecture, Firmo Construction and the green building industry are putting sustainability at the forefront of their production values to protect the future of residential construction and the environment it builds on.

Taking Advantage of the Landscape

Construction companies and homeowners can utilize a “climate positive” building plan by taking advantage of energy available from the environment surrounding the structure. For example, residential green roof and wall systems have become staple designs in the green building sector, and have helped to reduce home energy uses such as heating and cooling.

Homeowners can also plant trees and dense vegetation to shade their home during the warmer months and to block wind in cooler regions; a very simple, yet cost-effective strategy to reduce energy use.

The U.S. Department of Energy also recommends the use of high vegetation with spreading branches to maximize summertime shading as well as the use of low vegetation to provide shade from lower afternoon sun angles, depending on the orientation of the home.

These energy-conserving landscape strategies, along with channeling summer breezes toward the home and locating planting beds that require frequent watering further away from the home, can be integral to the design plan of a sustainable home in hot and humid locations like Florida.

Promoting Higher Density Infrastructure

Higher density building plans such as high-rise residential buildings and multi-family complexes foster many environmental and economic benefits by using energy efficient technologies. Dense development reduces water and energy use, conserves natural habitats by reducing urban and suburban sprawl, and minimizes emissions from transportation use by encouraging walking and taking public transportation. For more information, see our blog post on Higher Density Construction.

Implementing Clean Energy Technologies

Homeowners can further reduce residential energy costs by installing energy efficient technologies. Residents can monitor and adjust their home’s heating and cooling from their smartphones with connected thermostats. Using window coverings, caulking window frames, and using indoor and outdoor LED lighting, which uses approximately 75 percent less energy than incandescent lighting, are also cost-effective strategies that conserve energy. Another increasingly popular approach toward energy conservation in the residential construction industry is the use of solar panels. Solar panels have been shown to add value to a home in addition to reducing the need for alternative energy sources.

The Future of Residential Construction

In the wake of increasing concerns about climate change, zero-carbon and zero-net-energy homes have become a goal of environmentally conscious building. The terms are much more specific than “green building,” as carbon neutral homes seek to produce no greenhouse gases by eliminating the use of fossil fuels completely. A few green building techniques include building thick walls made of concrete to protect from exterior temperature changes, using geothermal wells and solar panels to create a closed-loop heating and cooling system, and building V-shaped roofs to collect water.

Successful green building methods greatly improve the construction industry’s impact on the environment, from the early building stages to the structure’s daily operations. As the Earth’s population is predicted to increase, it is imperative that the residential construction industry accounts for future developmental effects on the environment.