Green homes can be expensive. They can cost 20 to 30 percent more than traditional homes. Sustainable construction often seems more expensive than conventional construction. Many of the building materials that make homes more durable and easier to heat and cool aren't cheap.
Complicated systems that allow for some energy independence, such as photovoltaic and solar hot water panels, for example, can be very expensive. Common sense would tell most builders that it costs more to spray 8 inches of polyurethane foam on the ceiling than to install fiberglass blocks. More and more people are talking about sustainable housing as changes in our environment become more evident. The price of a green home is often the biggest obstacle for people who want to build one.
The cost of building an eco-friendly home is higher than that of a traditional home, but the long-term energy savings make it worth investing in it. This includes the actual materials used to build the house and the way the materials are transported to the construction site. According to the research results, the installation costs of these features can be between 28 and 32% higher than in conventional buildings. However, the misconception that green buildings are unaffordable prevents developers and homeowners from investing in these types of homes.
For example, the results of the study showed that the design costs of green buildings were 32% higher than those of non-green buildings. To obtain a more energy efficient and durable option, it will be useful to use efficient construction materials, such as an insulating slab base with a steel mesh to reinforce the base of the concrete slab. Therefore, you must calculate all the costs: construction costs, 26% overhead and construction costs and finished lots %3D to determine the total cost of building your house, since they account for 94% of the total sales price. Since green buildings use sustainable materials, their construction does not put pressure on local infrastructure.
While the initial costs of developing green buildings may be significantly higher, its many benefits (economic and environmental) outweigh these initial expenses. According to one of the researchers, this challenge is the result of the current gap in knowledge of green building design. The construction of green buildings is one of the most promising ways to stop the depletion of natural resources. But what makes the initial investment in green buildings significantly higher than in conventional buildings? According to a report published by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, many people assumed that the ecological characteristics of housing increased total construction costs by 17%.
Many architects, engineers and design firms are not familiar with the integration of sustainability features, such as energy efficiency, into building designs. An eco-friendly house is a house that respects the environment, is made of non-toxic materials and is energy efficient both in its construction and in its use.
