Environmental, Economic and Social Benefits of Green Building
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How many times in the past year have you heard and used the phrase “green building”? Probably too many to count. But do you really know why it’s lingering on everyone’s tongues? Well, there are so many great reasons why people can’t stop talking about this new phenomenon – environmental, economic and social reasons. It can help us manage climate change, create healthy and sustainable communities and reap many amazing economic benefits. If you want to know how exactly green building achieves to give us all those benefits, take a quick look at this little guide.
It can (potentially) save the world
One of the most important benefits of going green in construction is the effect it has on our wounded environment and changing climate. Green buildings have a much smaller carbon footprint that is the result of construction and use of the building itself. As a matter of fact, changing the building industry and greening it up is our best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions! This can also potentially result in great energy savings since green buildings use less water, electricity and other natural resources. For instance, in Australia green buildings with a Green Star certificate use up as much as 50% less water and produce more than 60% fewer greenhouse gases than minimum required amounts!
Green buildings that utilize roofs covered with soil and vegetation also serve as homes for all sorts of insects, birds and even snails. This is especially important in big, urban environments that don’t leave too much space for animals and plants. Green roofs also reduce the urban heat island effect that makes cities so hot and unpleasant in the summer.
Additionally, green building construction requires skilled and educated workers, which in turn means more jobs. And in today’s troubled economy, we all need more well-paid job openings. Aside from people who know how to make great designs and wield tools, workers who understand certain energy and environmental certifications and standards are needed.
It prevents heart attack inducing bills and makes serious money
Regular buildings we use as homes, business spaces, schools, hospitals and factories are very useful but also quite wasteful. To be exact, almost 40% of all energy (68 % of all electricity) produced in the US is used by buildings! And when you consider that buildings need heating, cooling, lighting, water and technology, you can easily see how quickly all that energy gets consumed. However, green buildings can help companies and homeowners control those wild energy and water bills. Through energy- and water-efficiency, people can save significant amounts of money, especially when you combine it with lower construction and operating costs. Green buildings also achieve much better property values and experience a high increase in occupancy.
Many green buildings not only produce less pollution and use fewer resources, but also generate their own energy! Architects and building owners of today often opt for various sustainable energy sources like rainwater harvesting systems and solar panels. One of the most cost-effective residential choices is definitely a reliable solar system that produces clean electricity that can potentially get you off the grid and make your home completely energy independent. Also, solar panels like Skylight Energy high-output 5kW ones can pay for themselves in no time. Commercial systems are also available for buildings with bigger energy needs. These solar panels can even give your business some amazing financial incentives and rebates!
Social and health benefits
It’s natural that most businesses concentrate on economic benefits the most, but some modern companies, younger homeowners and organizations care a lot about social and health benefits of buildings they live and work in. Luckily, green buildings have a very positive effect on their inhabitants and users. For instance, green roofs create a much more pleasant indoor temperature, big windows provide plenty of natural light and proper ventilation provides building dwellers with fresh air. All of these elements have a great effect on brain functions, focus, stress-relieve and sleep quality.
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All in all, green building brings billions of dollars to economies all over the world, it saves significant money to homeowners and businesses and creates millions of well-paid jobs. While this industry is already quite big, it will certainly continue to grow and change the way we perceive construction. The next couple of years will be especially important and big for green building! Additionally, these buildings are very eco-friendly and have the potential to fix the damage to the environment that we create with our pollution and wasteful lifestyles. For now, the future of green building looks very bright and we can expect green construction to become the norm very soon!