The “United Nations Climate Change Conference” held at Paris, in the year 2015 marked the beginning of what can be called as a global movement towards a greener planet. In solidarity with the movement, 174 countries signed the Paris climate agreement on earth day of 2016. Since then, the member countries are encouraging green construction practices in every construction projects happening in their country.

According to a study conducted by IEC (International Energy Agency), the global power consumption in 2013 was 18.0 terawatt-hour (TWh) which is equivalent to 90 billion barrels of oil or 18 billion tons of coal per year. This estimate includes the power consumed by both you and me, which is why we need to invest more of our time and money in building “zero energy buildings”.  Let’s look into 5 tips to implement “Net-Zero Energy” concept” in your green home.

• Tip 1: Start with smart designs

The first step towards having a smart design is to hire a smart engineer and architect for smarter building designs. Even a small plan such as orienting your house such that the roof slope faces south to tap maximum solar energy can bring about a lot of changes when it comes to achieving the “Net-Zero Energy” goal.

• Tip 2: Make use of the advancement in technology

Do not hesitate to make use of the latest pre-construction technologies such as 6D BIM to plan early on the ways to save energy and to reap maximum out of the naturally available sources.  Making use of 6D BIM, engineers can provide efficient energy management suggestions to the homeowners, based on which necessary modifications can be made on the design of the building to help achieve “Net-Zero Energy” goal.

• Tip 3: Go for a simple design

The enemy to energy saving and construction cost is surface area; more the surface area is the more the energy loss and cost would be. The advantage of going for a simple design lies in reducing the surface area which yields a proportional cost saving. If you can keep the cost down, you can invest that extra money you save on additional features such as solar and intelligent heating & lighting systems to assist you in achieving “Net-Zero Energy” goal.

• Tip 4: Insulate windows and doors properly

Windows and doors are called the energy holes in a building. An average home loses 30% of the heating and cooling through windows and doors annually, this surely adds up to a significant amount over time. Go for energy efficient windows and doors to save energy rather going for traditional windows and doors for cost saving. Consider the factors like U-factor, Solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC), Energy star rating. Investing in the right windows and doors can save you 25 to 53% savings on your energy bills.

• Tip 5: Choose your appliances wisely

In a typical house, 40% of the energy is used for lighting and 60% I used by the other connected loads. Which is why choosing appliances with good energy rating can prove to be a good place to start for achieving “Net Zero Goal”. Choose your appliances wisely, you can save a lot more by buying an appliance with a higher energy rating in a longer run, than what you save on buying a cheap appliance with a lower energy rating.

Conclusion:

These are some simple yet effective advice which can help you save money and contribute towards building a green world. Make sure that, when your friends or your family plan for building a house, you make them aware of the importance of going green and how efficient setting a “Net-Zero Energy” goal can be.

Author Bio:

K Shakti Prasad is a full time content writer, working with Advenser Engineering Services. He is a graduate in Electrical Engineering with 5+ years of experience in writing for various blogs and websites. Apart from writing he is a travel enthusiast and has a keen interest in music.