It’s heart-warming to know that builders in Kerala are finally beginning to give importance to matters affecting the world at large. With the threat of global warming staring us in the face and erratic climatic changes taking place everywhere, it’s a big consolation that reputable builders like Artech Realtors amongst some others are giving back to nature a part of its life-giving bounty.

In 2001, India had about 20.000 square feet of green building area, currently however, India boasts of over a billion square feet. This trend shows that the country is more than ready to move forward in the green building movement and the Indian construction industry is finally reaching global standards.

However, one should understand that it’s the buildings themselves that have been emitting about 1/3rd of the greenhouse gas emissions and using up 1/6th of fresh water; this is because buildings are dependent on conventional energy sources as well as being energy inefficient. Till recently, buildings were using up almost 50% of the worlds energy and even if half of this could be saved through incorporation of efficient green designing, it would translate into big savings to both the home-owner as well as the builder.

So if you are looking to buy an apartment or a villa, do remember to check with your builder whether the building is eco-friendly and compliant with various green technologies. The costs of such green buildings are little more than their non-green technology compliant counterparts, but it works out in the long term as a good investment.

Though you may not be an expert, there is nothing to be lost by asking. Some of the questions to ask your builder could include the following:

• Ask about the materials being used to build the home. You should look for keywords like ‘organic’, ‘non-toxic’ and ‘natural products’. If the answer is yes, then you are on to a gem of a builder and you can be sure of owning a home that will ease your conscience about not adding to the world’s woes.
• Check the building plan and design to see if it includes sufficient ventilation and lighting; in the long run, proper ventilation would cut down on power consumption needed to cool down the home as well reduce on power usage for lighting up the place. Adequate natural ventilation would also ensure that public and utility places of the building use minimal power.
• Find out from your builder about the source of energy being used to power the public spaces in your building. The ideal source would be solar power; additionally preference should be given to CFL or LED light sources.
• With fresh water becoming an increasing source of worry, it’s essential that all building should have an efficient rain-harvesting system with drains collecting run-off from balconies and terraces which can then be used to recharge ground water and for gardening purposes.
• Recycling grey water, which is essentially water from bathing, cooking and laundry, is another great way of being eco-friendly. This water can be filtered and used for flushing toilets, gardening or for washing cars. Also ensure from your builders that the taps are aerator-fitted as these lead to substantial water conservation.

These simple tips can result in greater energy saving as well as treating mother earth in a responsible way!