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Green Home Design in America and Energy Conservation in Europe

As new information comes in, the global community becomes more and more concerned about the environment and energy conservation. And while America is focusing more on the environment than it used to (with its newly popular green home building initiatives in particular), the U.S. is still behind the times when it comes to conservation. Many countries, especially European countries, have been the frontrunners in conserving energy and using green home building for decades.

European Energy Consciousness

European countries lead the pack when it comes to green home design and green living, which makes a certain amount of sense. In Europe, oil, natural gas, and electricity are more expensive than in the U.S., and have been for decades. Because of this, both individual Europeans and European governments are much more energy conscious than Americans. This instinct for energy conservation is seen in Europe in several key ways.

A big thing that separates Europe from the U.S. in energy conservation is a massive network of railroads and other forms of public transport. In addition to mass transit in essentially every major European city, the continent also boasts a well utilized long distance passenger rail service. And even though there are plenty of individually owned vehicles in European countries, most cities in Europe boast a higher percentage of mass transit users (and bicycle riders) than the United States.

European energy consciousness is also visible in the way Europeans build their homes. In large European cities in particular, green home building concepts are widely used. Most people residing in a large European city live in a much smaller space than the average U.S. home. In addition, most European houses, apartments, and businesses use simple green home building ideas to keep their spaces cool in summer instead of the air conditioning so common in the U.S. These include roll down screens, patio shading, double windows, and more.

To sum it up: in Europe, the people have been conscious of the need to switch off the lights when they are not using them for decades, because they needed to save money. In the U.S., people are just getting used to not seeing energy as something that will always be inexpensive and easily available, and are slowly developing a better instinct for conservation. This is easy to see when you consider how popular green home building and design has become in America during recent years.

Green Home Building in America

The green home building concepts being used in America revolve around simple ideas, such as less square footage, improved insulation, and smarter positioning to the sun, as well as the use of alternative energy sources like solar paneling. Green home building also incorporates more complex concepts, such as the use of sustainable materials and less harmful products, to protect the environment and conserve energy in the long run. America is a little behind, but with luck will start catching up to the standard set by Europe.

Renewable & Alternative Energy Resources: http://www.alternativeenergybase.com

To read more on green home designs, try this link www.GreenHomeGuide.org.

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