With our planet bearing up against our relentless behaviour regarding pollution and carbon footprint, it’s becoming more than obvious the time to implement some radical changes is now.
Out of all our basic needs, housing is one that leaves off a huge impact yet often goes unnoticed when it comes to incorporating such changes. When deciding to adopt an eco-friendly, or green lifestyle, most of us focus on our minor eco-friendly shopping habits related to clothes, food, and hygiene supplies, failing to notice just how detrimental the major housing industry can be to the environment.
Taking conventional construction into consideration, it’s estimated that it contributes about 36% to climate change annually due to the energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. Shocking, isn’t it? Even the most eco-aware individuals can be unaware of how damaging this basic human need can be in the traditional sense.
Luckily, the future of construction is already here in the form of ingenious eco friendly homes based on the modular concept. Also known as prefabricated, such homes help reduce the carbon footprint significantly, in addition to providing individuals with a quick and hassle-free solution.
While both aspects are great news for anyone interested in investing in this kind of property, there’s still some dose of doubtfulness and confusion in relation to this amazing alternative to brick-and-mortar constructions. Simply said, it’s the kind of concept that offers numerous benefits that pave the way to sustainability. Let’s look into them!
Impressively Fast Building Process
Forget everything you’ve learned with traditional, on-site construction – the homes constructed in factories and warehouses are here to change the way you look at the housing industry. Whether you like to call them modular, or prefabricated, it’s up to you. What’s essential for these terms is the fact they represent an old concept that, when transformed due to implementation of the latest innovation and technology, can change both present and future. In a positive way, of course!
What used to take months, and perhaps even years, to be completed, now takes weeks since high-end eco friendly homes are constructed within climate-controlled facilities. This itself makes it possible to reduce the building time that’s required to erect their on-site counterparts since the production process is not affected by outside factors.
As there are no unexpected delays during this construction process, there are two secondary benefits that come as a result. The first one is the lower building costs – the entire building process will cost you about 20% less than the construction of brick and mortar homes.
The second one, on the other hand, is related to additions, remodelling, and repurposing. Since most of the building process happens away from the site, there’s a great deal of flexibility offered in case you’d ever want to expand the existing modular homes years from now. The same can be said about remodelling and repurposing some of the building materials without dreading unbearable pollution, or waste. Which, leads us to the next benefit.
Effective Waste Reducing
The prefab industry generates remarkably less waste than traditional construction. Rough estimates indicate the lesser environmental impact by average wastage reduction of about 52%. This isn’t only enabled through strict guidelines and the use of top-notch machinery, but also through responsible material recycling practices.
Most of the materials utilised in the construction of the revolutionary eco-friendly homes are recyclable, in addition to being sustainably sourced. So, even if you change your mind on a certain room or even the whole house, you can eventually recycle it and build up to something new. One example is steel which is exceptionally durable and offers utmost protection from fires, besides being 100% recyclable.
While we’re at waste reduction, there are other forms it manifests itself in too: minimisation of the waste of energy and water as well. Considering such homes are designed in compliance with passive design principles, i.e. those that depend on a property’s location, layout, insulation, and ventilation, it’s easy to create modular designs that are highly energy and water-efficient.
The use of solar systems, in a combination with advanced features such as double glazed windows, and energy-efficient LED downlights and appliances, reduce the need for auxiliary heating and cooling, which reduces energy bills. Add to this the impressive greywater recycling systems, rainwater collection and WELS-rated water fixtures, and you’d be able to save up big time. So, not only are eco friendly homes great for the planet, but they’re also great for your wallet! Of course, this is secondary to the principal benefit of reducing your carbon footprint.
Healthy Indoor Air Quality
Respiratory issues have become a hot topic since the COVID-19 pandemic, yet there are dangers lurking around even when we’re at home, away from potential coronavirus infections. Depending on the construction of the home, aspects like poor insulation and ventilation teamed up with VOCs, can create poor indoor air quality which children and the elderly are especially at risk from.
Not to worry, this is again an aspect where prefab homes prove to be superior to their on-site built counterparts. Since they’re built-in closed facilities, immediately they cut the risk of mould and mildew, which are also mitigated thanks to the incorporation of unbeatable insulation and ventilation.
Besides controlling humidity and moisture, you can get the kind of home that provides unmatched comfort thanks to outstanding features that improve the air circulation without causing air leaking in the form of drafts. As you might guess this results in indoor air quality that’s unlike that of traditional homes, more so because along with the use of sustainable materials that are durable and resistant to moisture and infestations, they’re also very low in irritants and carcinogens like VOCs.
Respective of this, it’s safe to say investing in such a home is also a step forward in investing in one’s health – besides the obvious investment in our planet’s well-being! Not surprisingly, they have been dubbed “the homes of the future”!
