Top eco-friendly features of modern luxury homes

Guest Blog By: Lisa Roberts

When people think of luxury homes, some have the image of a traditional ornate estate, while others think of modern, sleek villas. Luxury homes are often considered to be full of amenities such as spas, private beaches, immaculate gardens, and wine cellars. These usually take up a lot of space and have a high carbon footprint to have them powered, cooled or heated, and generally maintained and running. Going green is becoming both a fashionable and a responsible choice that many are making. Luckily, there are many eco-friendly features of modern luxury homes for you to consider.

One of the first things you need to decide is whether you will be renovating and making those environmentally friendly decisions yourself or looking to buy a luxury home and need some tips. Either way, a green and sustainable home will have a significant market allure. These are some tips to make your home stand out or have an easier time finding one that truly speaks to you. 

Sustainable materials that are locally sourced

Doing any type of work on your home will probably be cheaper and a lot faster if you go for locally sourced materials instead of importing. While importing can sound like an attractive way to give your home an exotic look, worldwide shipping has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Waiting on materials can be a huge time sink, not to mention the added cost that unexpected delays can end up causing you. Finding information about where your materials come from and how they are harvested is also more problematic if you import. For example, getting wood from a local farm can be a sure way to know it has been ethically sourced.

Powering your home with natural energy

There is a wealth of natural energy that you can use to get your home running sustainably. Solar panels are one of the most popular eco-friendly features of modern luxury homes, and for a good reason. However, the output of solar panels can vary depending on orientation, latitude, and climate. While solar panels are a good choice, there are additional options to consider:

• Wind turbines are a good option if wind speeds near your home can reach around 32 to 37mph. These can be a good complement to solar panels since when there is little sun, it’s bound to be windy.
• Geothermal heat can be used to power air-source heat pumps (ASHP), which are best put to use in temperate climates.
• Solar water heaters do precisely that – generate hot water for your home by heating it with sunlight.
• Rainwater collectors are great ways to cut down on a household’s water usage. Unfiltered rainwater can be used to water your garden, or you could go even further and install filters to make it viable for drinking.

Heating and cooling solutions

Natural energy solutions can be an excellent way to heat your home, but other measures can further increase their efficiency. Without proper insulation, even the best sustainable technologies can go to waste. Airflow and draft control are critical in large homes, which are already difficult to heat or cool. Why be wasteful and let the energy you have worked so hard to make eco-friendly literally slip out the window? Double or triple glazed glass can make even floor to ceiling windows properly insulated and energy-efficient. In especially hot climates, green roofs can save energy on cooling and give your home a look of natural beauty.

Vegetable gardens

Growing fruit and vegetables can make your garden look colorful while also serving a purpose. Orchards add a level of sophistication to any home, but they also lower the surrounding temperature and offer natural shade on hot days. Having a functional ‘farm to table’ chain on your own property is the definition of a self-sustaining household. If you have taken other eco-friendly measures, you can bring self-sufficiency to another level by using and reusing what you already have for your garden to thrive. Reusing ‘grey water’ collected from bathtubs and sinks along with produce from compost bins means you are pretty much set with all you need to maintain your garden. Growing something on your property will produce oxygen, and the process of decomposition is good for the soil.

Any outdoor area close to your home, such as an outdoor kitchen or pool, can also be the right place for a living wall that will bring life and color to every part of your property. Adding even more eco-friendly features of modern luxury homes like fire pits and waterfalls will help integrate your chosen natural style.

Lighting 

Shifting from filament bulbs to LED lights has been a global trend for more than two decades. LED bulbs are more energy-efficient, and they also last longer, thus producing less waste. In the last decade, improvements have brought us brighter LED lights that have a warm color temperature, making them a viable choice for outdoor lighting. For the rooms in your house, you can consider LED strip lights that can be hidden behind furniture or panels – this way, your home can have a warm, soft glow reminiscent of candlelight. Software controls can further allow you to adjust the lighting color temperature or intensity, allowing you to achieve the perfect look while maintaining energy efficiency.

Make the most of the natural resources you have available.

Moving is stressful enough even without additional considerations and amenities, and hiring professional help can end up saving you time, money, and energy in making the right choices. Think about which features are important to you and what kinds of natural resources you have available to work with. Certain areas are rich with sunlight or are naturally windy. Some of the solutions will be obvious, while many can be adapted for almost any property. LED’s can be placed in any room. Once you have your perfect green home, all that’s left is a relocation that is worry-free, knowing you have done your part for the environment. This way, you don’t need to compromise or give up any of the features you’ve set your heart on.

Certification and energy rating

If you are moving into an already sustainably built home, you can ask if it has been certified or energy rated. The U.S. Green Building Council has created a building rating program called LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), and it has quickly become the go to for sustainable projects. Getting your home LEED certified makes it officially eco-friendly, which should be a consideration for the global shift toward sustainability. 

After your home has been outfitted in a beautiful, modern, and ecologically conscious manner, you will surely feel a sense of harmony in all the elements you have managed to bring together sustainably. Most of the previously mentioned eco-friendly features of modern luxury homes end up making them both stylish and comfortable to live in.