By nature, tiny homes are significantly better for the environment. The average tiny home uses about 7% of the energy that a traditional home does. If you choose to buy or build a tiny home, there’s a good chance you’re aiming to live an eco-conscious life. Why not take this philosophy as far as you can?
In this post, we’re going to give you some advice on how to build a tiny home that’s extra eco-conscious. With a few key additions, you can take your carbon footprint down to basically nothing. Keep reading and see how it’s done.
Rooftop Solar Panels
If you want to nullify your energy usage, then adding rooftop solar panels to your tiny home is the way to go. Talk to your local solar installation company to figure out the logistics of putting solar panels on the roof of a tiny home.
The great part about this is that you won’t have to get many solar panels to cover your energy usage. The other great part is that there are federal, state, and local incentives in place to further lower the cost of installing solar.
Composting Toilet
One of the biggest energy wasters has to do with the amount of water we use with showers and toilets. A composting toilet is a great way to eliminate a good portion of your wastewater.
They use less than one pint of water per flush, as opposed to older toilets that use as much as 6 gallons. The actual waste decomposes and evaporates, which surprisingly doesn’t give off any pungent smells.
Windows and Lighting
Your solar panels will get you off on the right foot, but you can further lower your electrical usage by having lots of natural light. Skylights and large windows can help you get the optimal amount of light during the day.
For the nighttime, build a home with LED lights instead of halogen or incandescent bulbs. LEDs are infinitely more efficient and can potentially last for 20 years without dimming.
Low Flow
A low-flow showerhead will further reduce the amount of wastewater that comes from your tiny home. It’s an affordable solution that will save you money and help the environment simultaneously.
Check out this guide to buying the best low-flow showerheads. It’s worth spending a bit more on a good one so that you can waste less water in your eco-conscious home.
Recycled Materials
Since a tiny home doesn’t require too many materials to build, you can erect it in an affordable manner. Another way to lower costs while helping the environment is to use recycled materials as much as possible.
From cork floors to reclaimed wood, you can get the carbon footprint of your tiny home build to essentially nothing by using recycled materials.
Build a Tiny Home
Learning how to build a tiny home is one thing, but building an eco-conscious tiny home is another beast altogether. If you take these tips to heart and put your money where your mouth is, you’ll see the rewards almost immediately in a tiny home that is both liveable and non-intrusive to the environment.
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