Buyer's Guide for Green Homes in India

Bangalore : The fabulous rate of real estate development across the world, and particularly young, burgeoning nations, are demanding on immense pressure on the environment and its natural resources. With such a hasty development, there is a lot at wager when we look at significant factors like energy availability and environmental sustainability.

The real estate sector is one of the contributors to global warming as it releases inclusive pollution during construction. Approximately, the building will expend around 20 percent of energy, but due to the development this is increasing day by day. Because of the impact, the real estate has imposed the formulation of feasible solutions. This has led to the instigation of green home concept.

This Eco friendly homes or green homes are instigated to minimize the adverse effects of construction and to endorse healthier living for individuals. The impact of Eco friendly homes is greatly on living standards, it offers a healthy environment with quality living space and it likewise reduces the cost of living and the cost of energy and consumption.

What is Green housing or eco friendly housing?

It is a type of housing which is designed to be sustainable and environmentally friendly, focusing on the proficient use of water, energy and building material. It has been constructed to play down its environmental foot prints ensuring a healthy indoor environment, solace, low utility costs and durability. This housing upgrades the quality of life.

Constraints to faster growth:

The foremost constraint for the expansion of green structures in India is the lack of information and wrong perceptions. People believe that green buildings will cost more and it will take long time to pay back the mortgage amount. Such a wrong perception leads to drop down the demand level of the larger purchaser base. Actually, since there is increased revelry, more developers are concentrating on building green homes and gradually the additional cost factor is reducing. These green home reduce the utility bills and energy consumption.

Even though, many developers dissuaded to adopt “green structure” in their projects, still they feel the green construction may increase construction costs. Additionally, they feel that this will be a challenging task to attain the green building material, necessary technologies, qualified designers, architects and contractors in India. However, builders/developers are aware that the “green wave tool” is getting the fancy of more purchasers in India and want to get on the fleeting trend. Lamentably, this has brought about a ton of residential projects which project themselves as “green” without sticking to all the required parameters or having obtained the necessary certification.

Benefits of green building:

The built milieu has a huge impact on the health, economy and natural environment. The overall benefits depend on to which the features are integrated during design and construction. This can reduce both environmental and economical performances. The significant benefits can obtain by including the design concepts from the earliest stages of construction and design. In some cases, few benefits will get after the complete construction of the building.

Some green features do not succeed a green building. With increasing demand in this concept many developers are undertaking green projects with a title of Eco friendly homes and a few are certified accordingly, but few of them are failing to deliver the actual goods.

To make sure that was a genuine green residential project, it is essential for the developers to attain official approval from GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) followed in India. This green rating system verifies all the parameters, materials and every stage of processes and construction. Here is a list of categorized benefits of Green building.

Environmental benefits:

• Reduces Energy Consumption: “Reduction of energy consumption” is the most significant reason to adopt the green concept. It reduces the harmful emissions and use of non-renewable energy resources; it implements the techniques such as day lighting, solar powering, recycling and many others.
• Improves water and air quality
• Conserve and Restore natural resources: By implementing the recycling process and storm water management it conserves and preserves water. This recycling rain water and grey water can be used for irrigation and urinal flow.
• It increases and protects ecosystem and biodiversity.
• Reduces waste streams: Usually, demolition and construction generates a huge amount of waste. Nevertheless, Green Buildings omit less wastage.
• Temperature control: In tall buildings the high usage of concrete and asphalt will create heat effects. These effects will be low in the case of green building due to the planting and site selection.

Economic benefits:

• Increases the Resale Value: less operating costs, easy maintenance and reduced energy needs increases the resale value of green homes.
• Reduces Operating Costs: The proper usage of natural resources leads to reduction of operating costs in a better way. Mainly it reduces utility costs, electricity bills, health care costs, work losses and many others.
• Create and shape markets for green services and products
• Increases occupant productivity:  Occupant productivity is interrelated to indoor environmental conditions. The productivity improves with the implementation of green principles.
• Augments life-cycle economic performance

Social benefits:

• Improves occupant health conditions: Poor indoor environmental condition results poor air quality, insufficient circulation of air, poor natural lighting, temperature variances, paints, toxic adhesives, high concentration of pollutants offers respiratory problems, headaches, nausea, skin rashes and allergies. Green building materials improves ventilation, environmental condition and creates healthy and comfortable life.
• Improves healthier lifestyle: Green buildings offer a natural environment with fresh and pure air, which offer exercise opportunities for health and fitness.
• Minimizes local infrastructure strain: Efficient structures carry less demand on water supply and the power grid, stretching out the capability of local structure.

Checklist for green home buyers:

5. Which type of energy supplier is used
5. Does the green house have higher levels of insulation?
5. Does the project is sited in easy access to public transport?
5. Does the fixtures, systems and fittings used for water consumption is certified as energy sufficient?
6. Did any energy efficiency improvement have been made?
5. Does the house have solar water heaters, recycling/reuse features, rain water harvesting and sewage water treatment.
5. What types of heating controls are installed?
5. To reduce need of air-conditioning does it have natural ventilations?
5. Does the house have adequate open spaces and garden?
5. Does it have covered parking area?
5. Standard of the layout and equipments used
5. Does the house have sustainable waste disposal feature?

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