While the jury is still out on whether or not solar panels are in and of themselves ugly (beauty is in the eye of the beholder), homeowners have several options for taking advantage of renewable solar electricity without relying on conventional solar panels. Community solar programs are popping up across the country; nationwide, there were 1,294 cumulative megawatts installed through the second quarter of 2018.  Solar roof shingles are photovoltaic modules in the form of roof shingles that can be integrated right into your regular shingled roof to generate solar power. While they might be a bit more expensive per kilowatt-hour (kWh) than conventional solar panels, they can be virtually indistinguishable from regular roof shingles.

Thinking Outside (and Beyond) the Box

Another common misconception with sustainable buildings is that they tend to be box-shaped, blocky buildings with little visual appeal. Simple designs tend to allow for more resources to be spent on more sustainable heating and cooling systems, more energy-efficient insulation, and other sustainable home upgrades. Along the same lines, a plethora of windows reduce the need for artificial lighting.

One great example is Nebia Spa Showerhead. This showerhead is designed with ten precision-tuned nozzles that atomize water and create a shower experience with millions of micro drops of water that flows over your skin for a spa-like experience. At the same time, this showerhead saves an estimated 65 percent of the water used by regular showers and thus can pay for itself through reduced water bills.

Similarly, dual flush toilets, low-flow faucets, and other water-saving technology devices continually come to market. These devices save water and money and are often visually appealing—a definite upgrade over those inefficient and ugly 1970s toilets.

Smaller Homes with Intelligent Design

There is an unfortunate conception among many homeowners that bigness is a necessary prerequisite for comfort and beauty. We tend to believe that more space creates more comfort, despite the obvious environmental consequences of building, heating, cooling, and maintaining larger homes.

Most homeowners, however, will rarely use half of the square feet of the homes they live in. Smaller homes with fewer rooms will require homeowners to have more direct contact with all of the different areas of the house. The closer we are to the homes we live in, the more we can make changes to maximize comfort levels. Even tiny homes often include unique and innovative storage ideas that maximize the livability and comfort of homes that can be well under 400 square feet in size.

Bottom Line

Sustainable homes are not only better for the environment and your family budget, but they are often much more comfortable, livable, and beautiful as well.