Green construction, also known as sustainable design, is a method that focuses on increasing the efficient use of energy, water, and materials throughout the life of a structure. This approach is also concerned with minimizing the harmful effects on human health and the environment.
Traditional residential and business building accounts for about 40% of total energy consumption in the United States and 68 percent of total electricity consumption. Buildings account for one-third of the country’s landfill trash, while normal construction practices account for 38% of carbon dioxide emissions. For more information, check out TBSG residential construction.
What is a green home?
Simply said, a green home consumes less energy, water, and natural resources than a traditional home. It is more efficient, resulting in less waste. Furthermore, a green home may be a much healthier environment for the individuals who live within. You may create a sustainable house or make improvements later to make it more environmentally friendly. A “green makeover” might occur all at once or as a progressive process.
Why should you go green in your home?
The advantages of living in a green home include higher durability, fewer energy costs, and improved health for individuals who live within. Construction projects and the built environment, in general, contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. According to Architecture 2030, current construction accounts for around 13% of total yearly carbon dioxide emissions, while existing building activities account for 27% of worldwide annual carbon emissions. While COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns reduced emissions, they swiftly returned to reach record highs.
Buildings demand a lot of energy to construct and run. According to a United Nations Environment Programme forecast for 2022, the buildings and construction industry accounts for 34% of overall energy consumption. Even if investments in improving building energy efficiency grew by 16% in 2021, any advantages were offset by an increase in building size.
Furthermore, structures use a large amount of resources, such as raw materials and water. Building materials such as steel and concrete account for approximately 9% of total energy-related emission levels, and raw resource demand for construction is expected to quadruple by 2060. Building a single square meter of the wall might take up to 350 liters of water.
Roughly two-thirds of all the buildings standing now will still be standing in 2040, and they will continue to generate large quantities of emissions unless retrofitted or renovated to make them more sustainable. They may even prevent humanity from limiting warming to 1.5°C and the worst effects of climate change. According to Statista, the average global yearly investment in energy-efficient buildings from 2026 to 2030 must exceed $536 trillion to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. These investments are expected to total roughly $215 trillion by 2022.
