Green homes are the future, and we have all heard that plenty of times already! While this is true, what most of us fail to acknowledge is that shifting to green housing renovations is not just an investment in the future, but something that has profound immediate benefits too.
Also, the so-called “future” is almost here, and we need to start our conservation efforts right now if the next generations are to have a fair chance at leading a comfortable, energy-rich life as well.
Myths Regarding Green Homes are Baseless or Outdated: It’s Not That Expensive Anymore
There are so many myths to discuss here, but let’s start with the most obvious and common one of them all, which is the idea that green construction and renovation is very expensive, in spite of not having any solid base whatsoever.
In truth, this just isn’t true, or at least it doesn’t have to be. Let’s take steel for example, which is considered to be an eco-friendly option when compared to wood. Deforestation due to logging is not exactly news at this point, but steel beams can prevent or at least slow down the deforestation to a great degree.
Similarly, wooden panels are not required in modern homes anymore because they have so many other environmental grade materials to choose from, which include Styrofoam, composite, vinyl, etc. Perhaps the most ironic part is that wood is more expensive as it is natural and exotic, but it’s also significantly less durable than steel, composite or any of the other materials mentioned.
Investing in Regular HVAC Maintenance Brings Down Heating and Cooling Costs
Heating and cooling costs can and often do make us regret our decision to turn up the heat during the winter nights. The same goes for summer when the cooling comes on to provide a much-needed break from our all-powerful source of energy, blasting us from the sky! It is possible to reduce those summer and winter energy expenses significantly, even if you don’t shift to a new photovoltaic system right away.
Energy efficiency is a very complex term, but in simple words, it can be defined as the amount of work that a particular machine is able to perform with respect to the amount of energy it consumes. On paying heed to any pending heating and air conditioning repair needs, alongside regular HVAC maintenance, it is possible for a homeowner to improve the energy efficiency of their household HVAC unit significantly. This would have the following effects:
- A step towards maintaining a green home by reducing unnecessary energy waste
- Reduced energy bills as less energy is required to cool/heat the home now
- Reduced energy bills as a result of the HVAC system having to stay on for a lot less time
As suggested by Semper Solaris, in case you want to make a much more significant dent in the total energy consumption of your home, you should compare the best heating and air conditioning units from a reputable company like Semper Solaris during your next renovation project. Not only can these HVAC units provide better heating and cooling, but they are capable of doing so while consuming as much as 58% less energy than your current HVAC system.
Call them in for an HVAC maintenance job if you are in California and they will be able to give you a more personalized estimate regarding the kind of energy savings to expect if you switch to something simple like even a 16 Seer 2 Stage HVAC unit from the USA-made manufacturer. It is to be noted that they are confident enough in these products to provide customers with a lifetime warranty, which is not anything that any other provider can boast of.
“Solar Panels are Not Cost-Effective” is an Outdated Concept in 2019
Now, there was some truth to it at one point in time when solar panels were really expensive and they could not provide sufficient energy-efficiency to be considered a good investment, at least not in the short term anyway.
Things have changed dramatically since then; just like smartphones, TVs and every other consumer gadget from a decade ago has improved in leaps and bounds, so have photovoltaic systems, and yet people are not as aware of the changes as they should be at this point.
Tesla batteries can now store solar electricity, which was once thought to be an impossible task, especially for household systems. It changed a lot of things forever and is a huge step for mankind. Solar batteries are now capable of powering homes even on days when the sun doesn’t show up, or during the night. This has allowed mobile homes and rural sections that are completely secluded from the grid to be independent.
Even setting aside this particularly incredible innovation, the ROI and the cost of residential solar installations in 2019 is now more practical and economic than one could have even imagined in 2009.
To summarize the whole discussion within the limits of the article here, it would be safe to state that a home renovation project which incorporates proper insulation, a decent-sized solar energy generation system, and a highly-efficient HVAC system, can together bring down any home’s carbon footprint significantly, if not completely. This is particularly true in certain parts of the country, such as in California, Florida, Texas and the like.
From a purely practical perspective, we also need to consider important factors such as state and federal tax incentives, reduced electricity bills and most importantly, it doesn’t require giving up any of the modern comforts we have grown so used to nowadays.
If anything, in case you are lucky enough to be located in an area of the country where the sunshine is excellent on most days, it isn’t possible for you to waste energy if it is being generated by your solar system. To explain this point, we will discuss a very hopeful aspect of solar energy next.
The Sun is a Potentially Nigh-Infinite Source of Energy
The greatest thing about solar energy is that unlike any other form of renewable or non-renewable energy, it is by far the greatest and the most wasted source of virtually infinite energy that there can possibly ever exist. Any Joule of energy that we are unable to convert into electricity and use/store on a particular day is not recoverable.
Also, the sun is going to be there for roughly 5 billion more years and during each of the hours in those 5 billion years, it will continue to supply the planet with enough energy to power it for a year.
It’s a shame that we are unable to use even a significant fraction of an hour of solar energy today. It would solve the energy crisis perpetually, something that still remains the biggest hope for the truly distant future. If we are to survive on this planet centuries from now, without coal and petroleum, solar energy will have to play a bigger role.
