Eco-friendly home-building trends continue to emerge. Building suppliers and even technological advances have kept up with the new demand for eco-friendly products and technology that has less impact on the environment. Will this trend continue? Where will this take us? Here is what the future may hold for eco-friendly products and home building.
Focus On Reducing Impact
As we move toward the future, it has become clear to many people that it is everyone’s responsibility to reduce environmental impact. Today, it is already important to many new homeowners that they are building their homes with eco-friendly products. According to the Census Bureau, since 2018, vinyl siding and stucco have taken the lead for products used on new construction homes for exterior, followed by brick, fiber cement planks, and brick veneer.
Homeowners or potential homeowners are considering the energy efficiency of the products used and how the products are sourced. Conscientious home buyers are asking questions about the longevity of products and recyclability. We will see more recycled products used in home buildings in the future.
Using Natural Resources
Now and in the future, we will see more use of natural light and natural resources in home building. Thoughtful design using state-of-the-art technology to configure window placement will become more important to take advantage of the radiant heat from the sun and the natural light. Global Newswire states that North America’s doors and window market will grow by 4% by 2026.
Building homes that work with nature instead of against nature will become a big trend in the future of home building. We will see more solar-powered homes and more homes working with the already available resources instead of trying to control the surrounding environment. More trees will be left on building lots to protect homes from the heat and provide a natural windbreak.
Energy Efficiency at a New Level
Energy efficiency is where technology meets with home building. The latest HVAC technology is improving energy efficiency and it will continue to evolve into the future. According to Comfy Living, the HVAC industry globally is worth about $240.8 billion (about $740 per person in the US). HVAC systems will continue to introduce new technology to help save energy.
Not only will the HVAC industry introduce new technology that will improve energy efficiency, but the lighting, plumbing, and other home building industries will also introduce new technology that will focus on energy efficiency and savings. Building energy-efficient homes that are also eco-friendly will continue to be on trend into the future.
Renewable Resources and Low Toxicity
Unfortunately, we have learned that our homes can be toxic because of the materials used to build them. We have also learned that it is important to use renewable resources in our home building. Depleting natural resources is no longer an option. You can expect that the materials to build homes will have low VOCs and come from renewable resources.
Technology will play a factor in creating non-toxic building materials as well as harvesting raw materials for building. You can expect to find a lot of alternative building materials emerging that are better for humans and better for the environment.
Many changes are coming to how homes will be built in the future. Before too long, the term eco-friendly will fade because eco-friendly will be the standard. It is time for a change. We now have technology that can do the work and reduce the cost of building homes that are good for the owners and the environment.
The future is looking brighter for the environment. Learn more about how technology impacts the building industry and how it is transforming building materials and techniques.
