The first few months of the year provide us with a fresh opportunity to be aspirational and to do things differently. That applies to both our personal goals and elements of our lifestyle. Given that many Canadians have spent the better part of the last two years close to home — if it hasn’t been done already, now is the time to ensure our living spaces are meeting basic healthy home principles.
According to the experts at Terra View Homes, that means taking proactive steps to improve energy-efficiency and ventilation, conducting general maintenance, and ensuring that you’re making environmentally responsible decisions for home comfort.
“Our commitment to building sustainably already minimizes the draw on resources for everyday life,” said Andrew Lambden, founder and CEO of Terra View Homes, a local home builder with a 30+ year history building award-winning homes in premier communities in Guelph and surrounding areas. “However, there are many additional routine check-ins you can do to ensure your home drastically improves when it comes to its health and safety, for the benefit of you and your family.”
According to Lambden, making intentional improvements to the health and safety of your living space adds to the quality of your home while lowering the maintenance costs towards your investment. Here are a few steps any property owner can take to ensure that happens.
- Make safety a number one priority. According to Lambden, it’s important to routinely monitor and eliminate potential risks or hazards in the home. “Arrange a professional inspection of the heating system, the furnace, and the windows to ensure every function of your home is working together to keep you safe,” he said. “Change the furnace filter and clean the filters on a regular basis to maintain your furnace efficiency.” Does your family know the evacuation procedure in case of a fire or other hazardous risks? Make sure carbon monoxide detectors — in addition to fire detectors — are installed on every floor and are operating properly. These important safeguards are always worth it.
- Make sure your home can breathe. Filtered air flow in all areas means even temperatures throughout the house, and exceptional indoor air quality will contribute to healthier living and reduce allergens and asthma triggers — such as dust, pollen and outdoor air pollution. Lambden suggests that a simple way to prevent unwanted airflow in homes not built to a Net Zero or Net Zero Ready standard is to routinely check door and window frames and add weather stripping if necessary. Not only are Terra View’s Net Zero Ready homes powered by ultra efficient heating, cooling and ventilation systems, saving homeowners over 50% on utilities compared to the average conventional home, but they are built using advanced construction methods and materials to keep the home air tight and well insulated — delivering exceptional comfort all year round.
- Shrink your bills and reduce your carbon footprint. There are many simple things a homeowner can do to reduce the cost of utility bills and energy consumption: adjust windows for daytime use, turn off the lights, pull the blinds down, plant trees in locations that deliver the best benefit, start composting and make the switch to low VOC paints and cleaners — to name a few. “It doesn’t always take the addition of solar panels or investment in electric cars to go green,” said Lambden. Terra View Net Zero homes produce as much energy as they consume, with all home features working together to significantly minimize your household’s environmental footprint. However, small changes daily can lead to big impact when it comes to protecting against climate change and preserving natural resources for future generations.
Learn more about Terra View Homes and the things that make Net Zero/Net Zero Ready homes a better choice for your new home, especially during the winter months. Visit http://www.terra-view.com/.