The question of “can luxury homes be sustainable?” is often questioned by sustainability experts. With sustainability at the forefront of many people’s priorities, luxury homes are no exception. There are so many developments taking place right now with sustainable practices being carried out, but still many developments are contributing negatively to the health of our environment.
Luxury homes have iterate designing and renovating processes that must be carried through multiple parties to confirm the capability of creating a sustainable space. Net zero-carbon homes do exist, however, they will likely come at a higher price. If luxury homeowners can simply introduce a few, effective sustainable features into their homes, this will pave the way for most developments of all scales in the future to include sustainability in their designs and developments.
Environmental Impact Of Home Development
Developing luxury homes may see seemingly low-carbon dioxide production, however, they are extremely damaging to the environment. Most importantly, luxury homes are much larger than your typical residential homes, meaning that much more Co2 and toxic waste is produced.
For example, building a luxury home on a green site ( a site that has not been built on before) is essentially reducing the amount of natural greenery in the space, therefore, reducing the production of oxygen in the area. Also, the materials used in the construction such as bricks, steel, and concrete require large amounts of heat and pressure to produce the material, which as a result produces Co2 into the atmosphere. The air pollution from the operating machine used to build the property is also especially damaging, therefore developers and owners of luxury homes should start taking corrective measures to reduce their environmental impact.
What Homes Can Include:
Here are just a few features luxury homeowners should include within the design of their homes:
Solar Panels
One of the main features all sustainable homes should include is renewable energy, and solar panels will do just the trick. Energy efficiency can be achieved by introducing solar panels onto the roof of your home to conserve the energy absorbed by the sun, to then use to power your home. Solar panels are proven to reduce the cost of energy, boost sustainability and also increase the value of your home. Adding solar panels should be a no-brainer when looking to create sustainability within your luxury home design.
LED Lighting
What is more luxurious than LED lighting features lining the ceilings and focal points of your home? LED lighting is extremely efficient and much better for the environment than traditional light bulbs. They are known to use substantially less amount of energy, whilst also having the ability to look slick and seamless.
Also, LEDs are long-lasting meaning that luxury homeowners will have the peace of mind of knowing they don’t need to change the lighting too often. Often, LED lighting features have electronic capabilities that allow owners to control the lighting from their phones, tablets, or wall touchscreen features that adjust the lighting to their liking. The ambiance of the room can be beautifully manipulated using LED lighting features, and it doesn’t hurt knowing they are much more energy efficient and safer for the environment.
Locally Sourced Materials
Creating a luxurious home with locally sourced materials is ideal for making a sustainable luxury home. Essentially, developers would seek to use materials from the local areas that can be replenished. Materials such as cork and bamboo are handy when creating beautiful homes, and they are also easy to be replenished once used.
Seeking locally sourced materials also reduces the number of carbon emissions that are produced transporting materials from overseas. Some luxury homes require scarce materials from other countries to create the desired appearance, which overall will cause a mass environmental impact when creating such homes. The most sustainable homes should aim to use locally sourced materials, as well as using as many replenishable materials as possible.
Sustainable Furniture
Additionally, luxurious sustainable homes should aim to source sustainable furniture to dress their finished home as eco-friendly as possible. Furniture is one of the important aspects of making a house a home, but the mass manufacturing of furniture impacts the environment. Luxury homeowners especially opt for bespoke pieces that are handmade overseas and require transportation to get the product to their location. Whilst handmade furniture is a good idea, buying items overseas will have a significant impact as each plane journey is predicted to emit 3.16 kilograms of CO2 per 1 kilogram of fuel consumed. Homeowners should instead look for luxury homeware made with sustainable materials, or perhaps opt for vintage furniture to add some ‘old money’ chic to the home.
Greenhouses
Finally, no sustainable home will be complete without its very own green garden. Luxury homes who wish to live off their very own land should consider creating greenhouses, filled with freshly grown produce and plants. Whilst a small kitchen garden will be great, a greenhouse will provide much more space for growth. Planting your fruit and veg will mean you will not need to consume fruit and veg that have been transported from overseas, and you will have control in avoiding the use of chemicals and pesticides that are used when growing fruits and veg. It would also be wise to plant native plants to the area in your green garden, but if you are looking for more exotic plants there are greenhouses available with their own sustainable climate-controls and automatic water supplies.
Final Thoughts
Overall, there is a great opportunity to create sustainability in the most luxurious homes. As we start to see a greater focus on sustainability, we should see more developers and luxury homeowners include sustainability within their list of priorities. There is so much room for eco-friendly additions to be added to existing and planned developments of luxury homes, no matter the age.
Simple additions such as solar panels, greenhouses, and sustainable furniture are effective changes that can be added to luxury homes to increase their sustainable efforts. For new luxury developments, we would expect to see more homes to be made with sustainable, locally sourced materials to create a completely sustainable home, fit for homeowners who value the health and longevity of our environment.