Tomorrow’s Eco-Friendly Home of the Future Will Likely Look Like This
Houses are becoming more eco-friendly by the day. Building codes are adopting sustainable materials, electricity is becoming cleaner, and home designs are putting a premium on energy and water efficiency. More homebuilding professionals are recognizing the importance of climate resilience in designing and constructing structures that are more resistant to natural disasters.
Moreover, green building certifications, such as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), have provided a checklist of features that constitute sustainability. Today’s eco-friendly residences are typically new luxury builds that comply with ambitious industry standards.
However, the environmental impact of most houses should eventually decline once sustainable home improvements become more affordable in terms of materials and labor.
What Makes an Eco-Friendly Home?
Three qualities define eco-friendly homes — energy efficiency, water conservation and ethical, responsible use of materials. Achieving them varies from location to location.
For instance, large houses in remote areas with minimal daylight hours would struggle to generate clean electricity using solar power compared to similarly sized properties in regions that receive abundant sunshine year-round.
People in jurisdictions with stricter environmental protections have a harder time accessing affordable, ethically sourced building products. Suburban and rural homeowners with private wells living in tropical climates may feel less motivated to invest in efficient plumbing fixtures, as the threat of water scarcity is less pressing.
The path to sustainability is unique for each individual. Although there’s a solution to every challenge, some are more viable than others. In time, you’ll have enough options to curb your carbon footprint and waste to the point where retrofitting eco-friendly features to your house becomes a matter of choice, not chance.
6 Common Elements Tomorrow’s Eco-Friendly Houses Will Have
Sustainable construction is ripe for mainstream adoption. When it becomes the standard rather than the option, most homes will likely have these six features.
- Solar Roofing
More houses will have rooftop photovoltaic (PV) panels in the future. In 2020, the United States residential solar adoption rate was approximately 3%, although some states recorded higher figures due to various factors. For instance, Hawaii had a 15.5% rate since many residents were keen on generating their own electricity due to the state’s expensive energy prices.
Today, rooftop solar arrays are more common in high-income neighborhoods, especially among smart and LEED-certified homes. However, the stars are aligning to accelerate adoption in the near future. Closer collaboration between roofers and solar technology companies, along with state-level rebates, should help reduce costs and simplify the installation process.
Solar battery prices can be prohibitive. However, the growth of the second-life electric vehicle battery market is expected to drive down the costs of energy storage systems and backup power solutions for tomorrow’s average homeowners.
- Resource-Efficient Appliances and Fixtures
Energy-efficient home appliances and water-saving plumbing fixtures are low-hanging fruit. These technologies are already available today and have matured enough to offer the best value. For example, one estimate projects that about 87% of all light sources worldwide will be LED by 2030, mainly due to falling prices.
The Energy Star and WaterSense labels have made it easy for homeowners to determine which products the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approves of.
Future homes will be more electrified. More homeowners will embrace nongas and nonpropane appliances in line with the decarbonization trend. They’re efficient at the point of use, and smart home technology should reduce their energy waste.
These machines are generally less cost-effective to operate than equipment powered by fossil fuels. They may also require more space and boost amperage at home. Nevertheless, energy self-sufficiency will mitigate the high initial costs of upgrading.
- Breathable Walls
Eco-friendly homes of the future will be more breathable. More architects, engineers and homebuilders are realizing that breathable materials are the key to neutralizing the unwanted effects of airtight construction.
Sealed building envelopes typically trap both heat and moisture. Efficiently expelling the latter to the outside is crucial, as it reduces the need for mechanical ventilation with heat recovery to maintain dry indoor air and discourages mold growth.
Construction professionals experiment with various methods, both old and new, to achieve high degrees of breathability without compromising airtightness. Some take advantage of permeable vapor barriers, while others practice precision sealing. Contractors are also bringing back timber framing and lime plastic and incorporating emerging breathable materials like hempcrete into projects.
- Continuous Insulation
Ultraefficient homes have fewer thermal bridges, such as the points where studs and sheathing meet. They create R-value gaps, allowing a significant amount of heat to escape even when most of the wall assembly is adequately insulated.
Traditionally framed walls can contain up to 25% stud material, while advanced framing techniques can reduce this number to as low as 15%. Either translates to considerable energy waste.
Sustainable homebuilders address thermal bridging by applying a continuous layer of mineral wool or rigid foam insulation to the exterior of structural frames. This idea isn’t revolutionary, as it’s common practice in many colder regions. However, more construction professionals in less frigid areas are adopting it to elevate energy efficiency.
- Radiative Cooling
The invention of dual-sided radiative cooling glass could usher in a new generation of energy-efficient windows. This technology can reflect most of the heat from incoming sunlight. It also radiates excess warmth at wavelengths that pass through Earth’s atmosphere, sending heat straight into space.
These two abilities enable the window surface to remain cooler than the ambient air under sunlight while allowing 72% of visible light to pass through. This prevents indoor temperatures from rising and supports daylighting.
This layered window glass requires further testing and fine-tuning before it is ready for prime time. However, researchers at South Korea’s Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology estimated that it could reduce air conditioning-related energy consumption on a hot summer day by up to 40%.
- Passive Cooling and Heating
Residential properties of tomorrow will do a better job of maximizing the environment to regulate indoor temperatures naturally.
In the winter, they will use south-facing windows to capture as much solar radiation as possible, warming the interior for free. Materials with high thermal mass, like stone, concrete and brick, absorb and store the sun’s heat, slowly releasing it as rooms cool.
In the summer, yard trees, roof overhangs and awnings can block high-angle sunlight and provide ample shade to prevent unwanted solar heat gain. Cool roofs and light-colored home exterior features help minimize cooling loads. At the same time, cross and stack ventilation methods increase the airflow inside the house and maintain comfortable indoor temperature and humidity levels.
Many homeowners already use passive heating and cooling principles to conserve energy. More will follow suit and plan renovations with these ideas in mind to regulate the indoor climate sustainably.
Future Homes Will Most Likely Be More Eco-Friendly in Every Way
Most of today’s houses won’t become environmentally friendly overnight. Budget constraints will compel homeowners to tackle sustainable projects one at a time, addressing the most pressing concern first. Sooner or later, tomorrow’s homes will incorporate these features and considerably reduce their impact on the planet.
