Myth Busting: Sustainable Homes Means Sacrificing Comfort and Beauty

If you have spent any amount of time on the internet looking at sustainable home ideas, you have probably come across a few homes that look like they were a relic from the past century. While you might care about the state of the world and the environment and want to do your part to protect the planet that sustains us, few of us are going to be willing to forego some of the modern-day comforts and conveniences that make up the homes we live in. Similarly, with the amount of sleek, modern architectural designs on the market today, opting for an unsophisticated, four-walled home that, while super energy efficient, is probably pretty ugly as well, is perhaps not high on your agenda.

Unfortunately, despite the technological advances in the sustainable building industry, there remains a pretty wide-held assumption that sustainable homes are equivalent to a yurt in the woods without electricity or running water. We tend to think that doing our part to help the planet through embracing sustainable home design means giving up our yearning creature comforts, modern tech devices, and voguish home interiors. 

Nothing could be further from the truth. As the sustainable building industry continues to grow and develop, virtually every aspect, comfort, and convenience of the modern homes we have come to expect are being transformed into energy-efficient, healthy, beautiful, and low-carbon alternatives. Below, we look at a few ways in which sustainable homes are increasingly comfortable and beautiful.

The Solar Panel Roof

Let's start with the big one. Many homeowners across the country understand that solar panels are a great way to generate clean, renewable electricity that doesn't emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. However, not everyone enjoys the "aesthetics" of a roof covered in silicon PV panels. Several homeowners associations (HOA) have routinely made it difficult for individual homeowners to put up a solar panel system.