Green Housing nowadays has become a necessity rather than a privilege. This is because human consumption of resources has reached an unsustainable rate. It is high time that we use our natural resources judiciously and become conscious of our consumption.
With all industries changing and adopting an eco-friendly approach, the real estate industry has also adopted a few innovations, green buildings being one of them. The need for sustainable real estate has witnessed remarkable growth in recent years, where green buildings play a tremendous role in driving sustainability.
Buildings are responsible for almost 40% of the energy-related carbon emissions. Eco-friendly buildings, also known as green buildings, reduce dependency on non-renewable energy sources, such as coal and natural gas, by turning to renewable sources, such as solar energy. Most green building designs feature windows that allow ample amount of natural light to come in, reducing the need for artificial light. This goes a long way in becoming self-sufficient in their energy needs and reducing their carbon footprint.
What are Green Buildings?
As the name suggests, green buildings help reduce the negative impacts on the natural environment by using less water, energy, and other natural resources by employing renewable energy sources and eco-friendly materials and reducing emissions and other waste. Among the industry sectors that are significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, the building sector has the largest potential difference to make in achieving significant reductions.
The implementation of green buildings will lead to economic benefits for multiple stakeholders. Developers benefit from higher property values due to optimized resource utilization and better-performing, long-lasting buildings. The vast industry and job creation that exists around the development of green buildings continues to grow.
Significance of Sustainable Real Estate
Energy Efficiency
Green buildings typically consume less energy than traditional buildings due to using energy-efficient appliances, lighting, HVAC systems, and their designs. This reduces the energy demand and also reduces the overall carbon footprint of the building. Using renewable and sustainable energy resources helps in a better standard of living that is both comfortable and sustainable in the long run. Designers of green buildings try to make use of eco-friendly resources as much as possible. They install solar panels to use solar energy and design windows that allow a significant amount of sunlight to keep the rooms bright during the day, therefore reducing the consumption of artificial light.
Green buildings ensure optimum and efficient utilization of all resources, keeping sustainability in mind.
Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions
As a result of low energy consumption, green buildings produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to the global efforts against climate change.
Water Conservation
Water efficiency involves using water resources to save water and ensure that today and future generations enjoy a reliable clean water supply. Green building allows for the use of alternative water sources such as rainwater, reducing water waste by installing efficient plumbing fixtures and reducing the strain on shared water resources by installing systems that purify water and enable recycling.
Economic Benefits – Low Maintenance and Operation cost
As mentioned above, green buildings incorporate unique construction features that ensure the efficient use of resources. For example, by using a task lighting strategy and a lot of daylight, green buildings vastly reduce the amount of power used in lighting systems. Green buildings incorporate unique construction features that ensure efficient use of resources such as water and energy. This allows the users to cut down their energy consumption bills, thereby reducing their cost of living. Realtors can make efficient use of this factor and can use it to pitch their sales more effectively.
Enhances Indoor Environment Quality
Indoor environment quality depends on conditions inside a building and how they affect the residents of the building. These conditions include lighting, ergonomics, thermal conditions, and air quality. A good indoor environment quality protects the residents’ health, reduces stress, and improves their quality of life. The one that gives good positive vibes for mental peace and the necessary healthy environment for the body to thrive in. Installation of operable windows that allow as much sunlight as possible and reduce the use of materials that may emit chemicals that are harmful to the health of the individuals.
Good Health
Green buildings will positively impact people’s health in the long run, as the building is constructed with the help of sustainable materials. Toxic substances like carcinogens cause significant breathing difficulties and increase cancer risk.
Better Environment
By reducing the usage of energy sources that pollute the environment, such as coal, green buildings contribute to keeping the environment clean. In addition, by reducing the levels of carbon (IV) oxide emitted to the atmosphere, they help to lessen the pace of climate change.
In conclusion, as we saw above, green buildings have many benefits. Although it initially seems quite hard on the pocket, it is definitely a one-time solution. The realtors, brokers, and real estate agents should highlight these benefits and portray them in a realistic and simple way so that the customer understands them well.
You can also understand this more in-depth and know why Sustainable Development: A win-win for developers and communities.
A healthy environment is a fundamental right of all human beings and also one of our fundamental duties to work towards a healthy environment. The realtors and real estate brokers and also the consumers should responsibly act towards switching towards an eco-friendly future.
Thus, green buildings and other eco-friendly alternatives should be adopted and promoted for the well-being of our present as well as the future.