A common theme in today’s world is “Going Green.” Why not go green? Unless you’re some kind of a crazy person, we all want Mother Earth to remain pristine and beautiful. The construction industry has made leaps and bounds in green technologies over recent years. These new technologies, coupled with innovative home design, significantly reduce environmental impact. Azimuth Builders, located in Calgary, Alberta, explains that people want to use green technologies in their building construction to save money, but more importantly, to be responsible stewards of the environment. So just what are some of these incredible technologies? Let’s take a look. Here are five powerful green construction technologies that are helping to secure a better future:
- Low-Energy Building Design – Just the design of a building alone will dictate how much energy it uses. Low-Energy building designers focus on designing around local climates and sustainable resources. This type of design analyzes a building’s shape and orientation to leverage local solar, wind, and geothermal energy sources. It also incorporates high performing materials such as insulation, smart windows, and air sealed construction to reduce energy loss. In this building design, the sun may naturally heat a building and its water supply. Energy-efficient appliances are incorporated into this type of design to reduce energy consumption further. Less energy loss means less energy consumption. That’s great for Mama Nature and your wallet. The good low-energy building design is a powerful green construction technology.
- Solar Power Systems –Solar panels have come a long, long way in the past five years. Some solar-powered systems are even using A.I. (artificial intelligence) to ensure they capture as much of the sun’s power as they can while conserving as much electricity as they can. Even the batteries used to store this renewable resource have drastically improved. A solar system can produce between 20-100% of a building’s power needs. There are many government-sponsored programs available that enhance the savings building owners will see over time, such as the Micro-generation This program allows electrical producers to sell or get credits for excess electricity they send back to the grid.
- Straw Bales – I know. You don’t think of straw bales as green technology. However, straw bales offer a surprisingly high level of insulation for hot or cold climates. Straw bales are affordable and are very sustainable natural resources. The trick with using straw bales is that you must adequately seal walls that use them. They will suck water up like a sponge. You don’t want them getting wet because if they do, they could rot.
- HempCrete – HempCrete is a technology that uses hemp fibres bound with lime. Like concrete, HempCrete can take on any form that they are cast into. Hempcrete offers incredible insulation and is highly energy efficient. It’s obviously a very sustainable technology as hemp tends to grow like a weed, see what I did there? This material is also flame, water, and pest resistant.
- Smart Glass – Smart glass, also known as switchable glass, turns from clear to tinted when an electric charge is applied to it. The higher the electrical charge, the more the glass tints. It’s pretty much the same concept as those auto-tint glasses that’s all the rage these days. On bright sunny days, the smart glass tints to keep sunlight out. This tint results in a cooler building and reduces glare. On colder days, the glass is clear and lets in more daylight. More sunlight makes for a warmer space. The beauty of this type of glass is that it saves building owners money because in the summer, less AC is required, and in the winter, less heat is needed.
There are numerous green technologies that building owners can use to save money and to have a less damaging effect on planet Earth. Make sure to research some of these technologies when designing your next building. There are way more than these five green construction technologies listed in this article. Contact your local general contractor if you any questions about your next building project.
Author Bio: Gary Bizek, general contractor Calgary, is the President founder of Azimuth Builders, which is located in Calgary, Alberta. You can visit our secure website at https://azimuthbuilders.com/. Contact them at 403-801-4612 to learn more about their general contracting services. We are located at 160 Quarry Park Blvid SE Suite 300, Calgary, Alberta, T2C 3G3.