Choosing sustainable construction products are not at all easy. Various cheats befool people by selling normal goods with a green leaf printed on the covering with a claim of sustainable products. Hence, to pick sustainable products for construction purpose is a challenging task. To choose sustainable products a buyer evaluates them on various grounds to determine the level of their sustainability, which is in contrast to other building materials that people choose based on appearance and value.
The sellers boast their product of being eco-friendly and sustainable but in reality they do not possess either of these qualities. One eco-friendly element in the whole product is not capable of making the entire product green.
Moreover, a green product need not necessarily be a sustainable product and non-sustainable products need a replacement after some years of installation. People who are ignorant about these facts may fall prey to unnecessary wastage and expense. However, if you keep yourself guarded and arm yourself with all the knowledge and research, then nobody can befool you and you will not waste your hard-earned money.
The main thing you should keep in mind while developing a sustainable product is to use natural material that is renewable and is recyclable. The most important factor for the construction projects is the monetary budget. The material and product selection that you do largely depends upon your budget.
If you decide to buy sustainable products, then any day they will cost you more than the ordinary products. However, this one time investment in sustainable products will give you a freedom from rigid maintenance and repair costs that occur in the case of ordinary building products. Sustainable products are high on initial costs and low on the maintenance and energy costs.
Following are some tips those will help you determine sustainable products over ordinary ones:
- Impact on Environment and Health: To test a material of it sustainability level, consider their weather resistance, toxicity, aesthetics, local availability, durability and whether they are made from recyclable products or not.
- Product Certifications and Research Ratings: Certifies labels, as that of Energy Star Ratings is a good indicator of a sustainable product. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a building rating system that identifies the sustainability level of the products.
- Hire Specialized Contractors: As sustainable construction is a new concept, therefore it is of paramount importance to hire experienced contractors who have expertise in the sustainable product installations.