6 Eco-House Trends to Watch in 2023
Global warming has already become a worldwide crisis, so it is no surprise that home design now stands out for being kind to the environment. The eco-house is hugely popular right now, because it helps you cut carbon dioxide emissions by drawing on renewable sources and green energy such as solar and wind power.
It also involves construction techniques and processes that are far better for the environment. One example of a sustainable building method used in eco-houses is synthetic underlayment beneath the roof. This material withstands harsh natural elements and uses polymers made from recycled scrap.
One great thing about eco-friendly buildings is that they conserve water. Green buildings are designed to collect rainwater and grey water , meaning water that has already been used, such as water from the bathtub, the washbasin or the laundry. This water can be treated and put back to work watering plants, gardening, irrigation or even flushing toilets. Harvesting rainwater also helps reduce local flooding.
If you are looking to build an eco-house, or you own an eco-house project, explore the key green technologies and the trends worth watching in 2023 with Cibes Lift energy-efficient home lifts
1. Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)
Structural insulated panels, SIPs , short for Structural Insulated Panels and also known as sandwich panels or SIP boards, are an excellent choice in the eco-house building process.
- SIP panels are a naturally environmentally friendly product and one of the best airtight construction solutions.
- Unlike plywood and particleboard, SIP panels do not release harmful gases into the atmosphere.
- Homes built from SIP panels are hygienic and environmentally friendly, posing no harm to people or animals.
- Homes built from SIP panels lower costs and also cut down on the waste generated on the construction site.
- Using SIP panels reduces the amount of material that ends up in landfill.
- In a fully sealed SIP structure, the house stays cooler in hot weather and warmer in cold weather.
2. Solar Panels (Solar Cell)
Solar panels are the rooftop photovoltaic systems we have all seen on houses. Solar cells help protect the environment and are kind to the planet.
- Over the past several years, solar power has been adopted worldwide to lower electricity bills and raise property value.
- Solar systems harness energy from the sun. Using solar panels at home reduces our shared dependence on fossil fuels and helps fight greenhouse gas emissions.
- In 2023, solar power will keep gaining popularity, especially the Solar Roof, which instantly turns solar cells into a building material for the modern home.
The more efficient solar power becomes, the more it offsets electricity costs and the better a place this world becomes for everyone.
A solar cell roof that cuts electricity bills
3. Design Led by Green Technology
Designing homes around green technology is a trend that will keep growing through 2023. It means designing to make the most of nature, with a long service life and a focus on energy efficiency, along with spaces that are healthy, comfortable and flexible. It also means environmentally friendly design and air-purification technology that creates a healthier environment.
Green building design also takes the following into account:
- Planting trees, because some species absorb toxins and store carbon dioxide
- Recycling, with a system for reusing materials
- Rainwater tanks, to save water for watering plants or flushing toilets
- Window design for both daylight and less heat build-up inside the building
- Place windows in the right spots and the home or building can run on natural light, for example a glass roof (skylight) lets daylight reach deep inside the house.
- The choice of glazing matters too. Double or triple glazing helps keep heat from entering the house or building.
An eco-house does more than lower utility costs, conserve materials and resources and reduce negative impact on the environment. It also improves the overall quality of life for everyone living in it.
4. The Smart Home
A smart home is an environmentally friendly home. Green technology can help a smart home use less energy and fewer fossil fuels. It not only makes the home more user-friendly, it also raises environmental awareness.
- A smart home saves energy more efficiently and more intelligently through home automation, such as smart bulbs you can switch on and off from anywhere, or an AI-driven thermostat.
- By combining information and communication technology (ICT) with a renewable energy system, the home can decide for itself whether to use power to run appliances or store it, which is good for the environment and lowers the owner’s electricity bill.
2023 will be the year the smart home becomes even more popular. Appliances and other devices have already made their way into our homes, and in the future all of these features will be standard in every new house.
An AI-driven thermostat
5. Compact Living and the Prefab House
Today there is a clear prefab house trend : small, good-looking homes that go up fast, and they are catching on widely. It comes largely from shrinking living space, which is exactly why demand for small homes is rising, since they are affordable to build. On top of being more sustainable, small homes also use fewer resources to build and maintain.
Small homes are popular with younger generations looking for ways to protect the environment by cutting their carbon dioxide emissions while living smart with their money at the same time.
Installing a home lift, a lift for the elderly or a wheelchair lift , is becoming essential as the ageing society grows in Thailand and around the world. Choosing the company that installs it is a key factor too: the lift must be energy efficient, offer the highest level of safety and save space.
Cibes Lift always keeps the environment in mind. Our best-selling product, the Cibes A5000, has a service life of up to 25 years and is up to 91% recyclable. Its EcoSilent drive system also earns our lifts an A energy label and cuts the lift’s energy consumption by as much as 45%.
Cibes Lift, the energy-efficient home lift
6. Indoor Plants
Another rising trend that will keep growing in 2023 is creating space in your home for living plants, so that an eco-house is genuinely full of greenery.
- Indoor plants make a space beautiful, lift your mood, spark creativity, reduce stress and clear away air pollution.
- Plants make you feel healthier and happier. It is not only about how they look, they can genuinely improve your mood.
- Some plants purify the air indoors and make the air in your home better, such as rubber fig, lavender, ivy, snake plant, monstera, peace lily and bamboo palm.
- Having plants at home also spares you from mosquito coils and toxic insect and mosquito sprays, since some of these plants keep insects away and act as a natural repellent. You can say goodbye to sprays and get oxygen instead, which those sprays never offer to people with asthma or lung disease.
There are still several months left in 2023, but it is never too early to get your home ready, old or new, to be kinder to the environment. Let these building trends guide you as you make worthwhile decisions to turn your lovely home into a green space.
