Many families wonder about the ecological impact of building a house from scratch. This concern is understandable. A typical construction site, with its heavy machinery and bins of discarded materials, is far from environmentally friendly. Though most modern homes have many eco-friendly amenities, the process of building one takes a toll on the environment.
Fortunately, you don’t have to encroach on the environment to lay down roots and build your dream home. Pre-fabricated modular homes are an excellent choice for those who wish to be eco-conscious and environmentally friendly.
Here are three ways pre-fab modular homes eliminate waste, minimize environmental impact, and reduce your carbon footprint.
Waste Reduction
Did you know that construction and demolition account for 23% of all the waste in our landfills? That’s over 1.2 million tons of waste in Ontario alone. Not only does this create land pollution, but it also contributes to global greenhouse gases as well.
Choosing a pre-fab modular home drastically cuts down on waste. Built-in-factory, pre-fab homes have precise, custom components. This makes for far less wasted material, and any spare parts are easily reused or recycled.
Shorter Building Time
The average single-family home takes seven months to build. That means months of trucks and machinery rolling to and from the building site, along with a prolonged disturbance to the surrounding environment. Worse, rain or snow can draw out the whole process.
Pre-fab builds are faster, more efficient, and easier on the environment. Since most of the construction process occurs on the factory floor, construction isn’t subject to weather delays. Material assembly occurs on-site and in short order, with minimal impact on the environment.
This doesn’t just benefit Mother Nature – your neighbours will appreciate it, too.
Energy-Efficiency
Heating accounts for 63% of the energy use in our homes – more than lighting and appliances combined. One of the most effective ways of reducing that number is to minimize the amount of heat lost through cracks and gaps in windows and doors. For standard homes, this often requires homeowners to invest in costly retrofits and renovations.
When it comes to reducing your carbon footprint, pre-fab modular homes have a leg-up on traditional homes. The state-of-the-art construction process ensures the entire build is precise and accurate. A pre-fab home has tight joints and seams that keep the warm air in during the winter. This makes your heating system more efficient, cutting down on your energy bill and reducing your carbon footprint.
Pre-fab modular homes are environmentally friendly from start to finish. The construction process produces far less waste than traditional builds, lightening the load on our landfills. It also cuts the time it takes to get from ground-breaking to housewarming, meaning fewer emissions and less pressure on the environment on-site.
Homeowners can benefit from the home’s environmentally-friendly features once it is up and running. The quality-controlled design of a pre-fab home means homeowners can be more energy efficient and cut their carbon footprint. And since pre-fab homes are completely custom, homeowners can choose to opt-in to other eco-conscious features, like solar panels and geothermal heating.